Treasury

Treasury: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Cat Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Government procurement card HMT spend greater than £500: September 2022, published 31 May 2023, for (a) which individuals and (b) how many nights, was accommodation purchased at the Royal Livingstone Hotel on 4 September 2022; and what was the purpose of that stay.

Gareth Davies: Accommodation was purchased to facilitate attendance at East and South Africa Anti Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) meeting which is a Financial Action Taskforce style regional body (FSRB).

Treasury: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Cat Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Government procurement card HMT spend greater than £500: July 2022, published 31 May 2023, what was the (a) nature and (b) purpose of the services for which Powtoon Ltd. were paid £2,396 on 13 September 2022.

Gareth Davies: The information requested refers to the payment for HM Treasury’s Powtoon user licenses. The licenses were purchased initially for the creation of virtual training modules for staff during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Treasury: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Cat Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s publications entitled Government procurement card HMT spend greater than £500: July 2022 and August 2022, published 31 May 2023, what was the (a) nature and (b) purpose of the conference services for which (i) Cherron Inko-Tariah was paid £3,339.99 on 13 July 2022, (ii) Terry Tew Sound & Light were paid £2,370 on 18 July 2022, and (iii) Livegroup Ltd were paid £7,389.26 on 11 August 2022.

Gareth Davies: The purpose of this expenditure was for events and conferences.

Treasury: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Cat Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s publication of government procurement card spending over £500 for April 2022, which teams in his Department have access to the digital whiteboard software purchased from Metro Retro on 20 April 2022; and for what purpose it is used.

Gareth Davies: Digital whiteboard software is vital for business planning and enables joint up remote working.

Treasury: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Cat Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s publication entitled Government procurement card HMT spend greater than £500: July 2022, published 31 May 2023, what was the (a) nature and (b) purpose of the services for which Burtt, Jones & Brewer were paid £4,140 on 13 July 2022.

Gareth Davies: This spend relates to building services and a site survey.

Treasury: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Cat Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Department’s publication entitled Government procurement card HMT spend greater than £500: October 2022, published 31 May 2023, what was the (a) nature and (b) purpose of the furniture and fittings purchased on 25-26 October 2022 from (i) JW Plant & Co. Ltd and (ii) Crown Fine Art.

Gareth Davies: The expenditure is related to improvements to offices.

Treasury: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Cat Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s publication entitled Government procurement card HMT spend greater than £500: June 2022, published 31 May 2023, what was the (a) nature and (b) purpose of the training for which The Insight Story Ltd. was paid £3,050.40 on 15 June 2022; and which teams in his Department received that training.

Gareth Davies: This spend delivered Human Resources (HR) services in the form of management and leadership training, to HM Treasury staff.

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Mark Eastwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding his Department has provided in support of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Investment Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Eastwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on the amount of funding provided by (a) France, (b) Germany, (c) China and (d) other Framework Convention on Tobacco Control partner foundations to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Investment Fund.

Gareth Davies: There has been no contribution from the UK Government to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (the Protocol) Investment Fund. The UK does not hold information on the contributions of other Parties. The Investment Fund is not yet operational and requires an Oversight Committee to be established. We would expect fundraising to commence after this is formed.

Treasury: Vodafone Group

Apsana Begum: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment their Department has made of the potential effect of the merger between Three and Vodafone on his Department's contracts with Vodafone.

Gareth Davies: As an open economy, this Government welcomes and encourages investment where it supports the Prime Minister’s goal of boosting UK growth and jobs, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements, and does not compromise our national security. The Government has robust powers under the National Security & Investment Act, which it introduced, to block or impose remedies on transactions that pose a national security risk. As you will appreciate, we cannot comment on specific acquisitions nor the applicability of the National Security and Investment regime.It is the responsibility of Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to assess the impact on consumers and competition in the market, with input from sectoral regulators. The Investment Security Unit works closely with the Competition and Markets Authority on cases that are being considered for both national security and competition reasons. A memorandum of understanding has been agreed between the Investment Security Unit and the CMA to assist joint working. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operation-of-the-national-security-and-investment-act-2021-memorandum-of-understanding/mou-between-beis-and-the-cma-on-the-operation-of-the-national-security-and-investment-act-2021

Treasury: Darlington

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department holds data on the number of Civil Servants that have re-located from Whitehall to the HM Treasury campus in Darlington.

Gareth Davies: We will publish information on civil servants working at the Darlington Economic Campus in HM Treasury’s Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 in July 2023.

Mortgages: Fees and Charges

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of mortgage lenders passing on costs through earlyrepaymentfees on consumers.

Andrew Griffith: The pricing of mortgages, including early repayment charges, is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, Financial Conduct Authority rules set out that lenders should not impose early repayment charges at a level that is more than a reasonable pre-estimate of the costs that would be incurred as a result of a loan being terminated early. Consumers should also be given adequate information about the existence of these charges in the pre-sale disclosure documents lenders are required to give them.

Inflation

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech on building a better future on 4 January 2023, whether it is still his Department's policy to halve inflation in 2023.

Andrew Griffith: Halving inflation by the end of this year is one of the Government’s key priorities, as a stepping stone towards returning inflation to the 2% target, which the Government remains committed to. The independent Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England, whose responsibility it is to set monetary policy to reach the 2% target, is taking action to drive inflation down and they have our whole-hearted support. To avoid making the Bank’s job more difficult, we are making responsible decisions not to add fuel to the fire on inflation, but support those who most need it, including through the Energy Price Guarantee, which has held maximum consumer prices constant from October 2022 until the end of June. The Government has also sustained the 5p cut to fuel duty, bringing cost of living support to £3,300 per household over this year and last.

Cash Dispensing: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to help secure free access to cash (a) withdrawals and (b) deposit facilities in Enfield North constituency.

Andrew Griffith: The government recognises that while the transition towards digital payments brings many opportunities, cash continues to be used by many people across the UK, including those who may be in vulnerable groups. The government is currently legislating to protect access to cash across the UK as part of the Financial Services and Markets (FSM) Bill 2022. The Bill establishes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities. As amended, the FSM Bill protects free access to cash by requiring the FCA to seek to ensure that, in the United Kingdom, there is reasonable provision of free withdrawal and deposit facilities for personal current accounts with relevant providers. It also requires the Treasury to publish a policy statement that includes policies on free access. According to LINK data for April 2023, there are around 39,000 free-to-use ATMs across the UK, including 57 in the constituency of Enfield North.

Tourism: VAT

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s Tourism Recovery Plan Update on Delivery, published in March 2023, what assessment he has made of the impact of the removal of VAT-free shopping for overseas visitors on the tourism sector.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to conduct a review of the impact of removing the VAT-free shopping scheme on the spending behaviours of overseas visitors.

Gareth Davies: The Government’s costings for the removal of the VAT Retail Export Scheme, which included consideration of spending behaviour of overseas visitors, have been certified by the OBR. The Government continues to monitor the evidence and latest data around VAT-free shopping as we keep all taxes under review. The Government updated Tourism Recovery Plan includes the target to recover to 2019 levels of inbound visitors and spend by the end of 2024, a year sooner than independent forecasts predict. VAT-free shopping is still available for all non-UK visitors who purchase items in store and have them delivered to their overseas address.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue has been generated by the soft drinks industry levy in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; and whether this funding has been used to help tackle (a) poor oral health, (b) obesity, (c) diabetes and (d) other issues.

Gareth Davies: The Government remains committed to helping people live healthier lives. Having a fit and healthy population is essential for a thriving economy and addressing obesity remains a priority for the Government. The Government does not breakdown the revenue raised from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) specifically for Northern Ireland. Headline statistics including total SDIL receipts are published online and can be accessed via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/soft-drinks-industry-levy-statistics

Retail Prices Index

Ian Lavery: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason is the Government abolishing the Retail Price Index by 2030.

Andrew Griffith: The decision over how to reform Retail Prices Index (RPI) was not one made by HM Treasury or the Government. It is a matter for the independent UK Statistics Authority (UKSA), whose role – as set out in legislation – is to promote and safeguard official statistics. The UKSA has set out plans to reform RPI by bringing in the methods and data sources of the Consumer Prices Index including Owner Occupier Housing Costs (CPIH). This will happen from 2030. The Government agrees with UKSA that RPI is a flawed measure of inflation, which at times overstates and at times understates changes in prices. RPI’s shortcomings are well-documented. In 2013, as a result of flaws in the way it is measured, RPI lost its status as a National Statistic. Since 2010 the Government has been reducing its use of RPI and has committed to not introduce any new uses of RPI.

Debt Collection

Damien Moore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has guidance on whether debt collection companies can be sanctioned for not providing (a) suitable and (b) timely methods to contact them to dispute claims.

Andrew Griffith: The independent Financial Conduct Authority regulates debt purchase, collection and administration arising from credit agreements. The FCA has an extensive Handbook (particularly CONC 7) setting out their expectations of firms undertaking the collection of these debts, including firms’ approach to contacting customers in arrears (CONC 7.9) and handling disputed debts (CONC 7.14.1R). The FCA utilises a range of supervisory and enforcement tools to deal with those breaching these rules. In addition to this, the enhanced requirements under the incoming Consumer Duty, particularly around the FCA’s expectations on consumer support, will aim to ensure debt collection firms provide a higher standard of care to their customers.

Cash Dispensing: Southend West

Anna Firth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to help secure free access to cash withdrawals and deposit facilities in Southend West constituency.

Mary Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to help secure free access to cash withdrawals and deposit facilities in Cheadle constituency.

Andrew Griffith: As amended in the other place, the Financial Services and Markets Bill protects free access to cash by requiring the Financial Conduct Authority to seek to ensure that, in the United Kingdom, there is reasonable provision of free withdrawal and deposit facilities for personal current accounts with relevant providers.

Voluntary Contributions

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to inform people that are eligible to add to their voluntary National Insurance contributions from April 2006 up to April 2017 that HMRC has extended the deadline to 31 July 2025.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending deadlines for additional voluntary National Insurance contributions from April 2006 to April 2017.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the adequacy of the provision by HM Revenue and Customs of information about deadlines for voluntary National Insurance Contributions for men born (a) before and (b) after 5 April 1951.

Victoria Atkins: The Government on 12 June 2023 announced through a Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) an extension to the deadline for eligible individuals to retrospectively fill gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record to 5 April 2025. A link to the WMS can be found at https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-06-12/hcws843. HMRC have worked with HMT and DWP to raise awareness of this extension by issuing a press release, through content on HMRC’s own social media channels signposting to guidance on GOV.UK, through local radio interviews, and via HMRC’s regular bulletins, and newsletters through June and July. Additionally, the extension will provide HMRC and DWP with the opportunity to make improvements to the digital service, with the intention that ultimately the majority of individuals should be able to complete the process of paying voluntary NICs online. More generally, individuals are encouraged to take responsibility for ensuring their NI record is correct and up to date. There are resources available to individuals to help them achieve this, including their Personal Tax Account and the ‘Check your National Insurance record’ and ‘Check your State Pension forecast’ services on GOV.UK. This extension will allow men born after 1951 and women born after 1953 with more time to review their NI records. Those men born before 1951 and women born before 1953 are unaffected by this extension.

Life Sciences: Government Assistance

Simon Fell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to support the growth of the life sciences sector.

Gareth Davies: Life sciences is one of my priority growth sectors. In May, the Government announced a bold new policy package backed by over £650m funding, reaffirming the government’s commitment to supporting a thriving life sciences industry. This follows a number of initiatives announced at Spring Budget that will support the sector, including £10m extra funding for our medicines regulator the MHRA, full expensing of capital expenditure and reforms to R&D tax credits.

Economic Situation: Artificial Intelligence

Matt Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the economy.

Gareth Davies: AI will have a genuinely transformative impact on the economy, spurring innovation across sectors. This brings huge potential for productivity and economic growth, and the government is making large investments to support AI advancement. Given the rapid pace of AI development, we must also ensure AI is developed and adopted safely and responsibly. The government’s recent whitepaper outlined a pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, and the PM announced that the UK will host the first global summit on AI safety this autumn.

Treasury: Access to Work Programme

Chris Stephens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether i an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Gareth Davies: An Access to Work scheme has not been implemented. The department, in common with other government departments, has its own arrangements to support employees with a disability or long-term health condition. In HM Treasury, the implementation of reasonable adjustments for its employees is via a central workplace adjustments service.

Low Incomes: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of financially vulnerable people in Enfield North constituency.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of financial vulnerability among people in Enfield North constituency.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to address financial vulnerability in Enfield North constituency.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of bank closures on the financial vulnerability of people in Enfield North constituency.

Andrew Griffith: The Government expects firms to treat their customers fairly where they face financial vulnerabilities, and seeks to ensure that people are able to access useful and affordable financial products and services. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) publishes a Financial Lives Survey (FLS) which measures financial resilience across the UK. Published extracts from its 2022 survey show that 25% of adults in London have low financial resilience, with 7% in financial difficulty. In January 2023, the FCA published an update which details consumer experiences of the elevated cost of living and reminds firms that if a customer is in vulnerable circumstances, they should be provided with an appropriate level of care and support. The Government recognises the challenges facing households due to the elevated cost of living and took action at Spring Budget 2023 to protect struggling families. This was in addition to the benefits uprating and support for vulnerable households announced at the Autumn Statement which included new Cost of Living Payments in 2023-24, helping more than 8 million UK households on eligible means tested benefits, 8 million pensioner households, and 6 million people across the UK on eligible disability benefits. While the Government does not intervene in the commercial decisions of firms to close bank branches, it believes that all customers should have appropriate access to banking services. According to LINK data for April 2023, there are around 39,000 free-to-use ATMs across the UK, including 57 in the constituency of Enfield North. The FCA expects firms to carefully consider the impact of planned closures on the everyday banking and cash access needs of their customers, including those who are vulnerable, and consider possible alternative access arrangements. Alternative options for access can be via telephone banking, digital banking, and the Post Office. New shared banking hubs are also being introduced to provide basic banking services and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet their customers. Over 60 bank hubs have been announced and 6 have opened their doors so far.

Digital Technology: Innovation

Dr Jamie Wallis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent progress he has made on implementing the recommendations in Sir Patrick Vallance’s Pro-innovation Regulation of Technologies Review: Digital Technologies report, published on 15 March 2023.

Gareth Davies: The Pro-innovation Regulation of Technologies Review is working closely with industry to identify barriers to innovation and getting emerging technologies to market. The Review has now published reports on Green Industries, Life Sciences and Creative Industries, as well as Digital Technologies. The government is moving quickly to implement the recommendations from the Digital Technologies report. For example, the government outlined four options for an AI Sandbox in the AI Regulation White Paper and will provide further detail in the forthcoming response to the White Paper consultation. The government is also working with the Intellectual Property Office and industry to develop a Code of Practice on copyright and AI, with the aim of publishing a draft before summer Parliamentary recess. On the review of the Computer Misuse Act, we have created a multistakeholder group including representatives from the cybersecurity industry and system owners’ to consider these issues, and reach a consensus on the best way forward.

Department for Work and Pensions

Families: Disadvantaged

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding his Department has provided to the Reducing Parental Conflict programme in each local authority.

Mims Davies: Grants for Local Authorities have been one strand of the Reducing Parental Conflict programme since its inception in 2018. This strand has provided funding of £27.6 million to individual Local Authorities as set out in the attached information.Attachment (xlsx, 23.9KB)

Discretionary Housing Payments

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Discretionary Housing Payment scheme.

Mims Davies: DWP monitors the Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) scheme through statistical returns from local authorities on their use of DHP funds. DWP knows from this data collection that the DHP scheme is effective as local authorities are well placed to make decisions about relative need and priority. DHP statistics are published twice a year, for the first 6 months of the financial year and then for the whole of the financial year. These statistics can be found here. DWP considers the allocation of DHPs to individual local authorities each year. In doing this we monitor evolving demand and trends by analysing administrative data on those eligible to apply for DHPs through receipt of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit Housing Element, and the information that local authorities provide regarding the amount of DHP funding they are awarding.

Department for Work and Pensions: Disability

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2023 to Question 185576 on Disability, which of his Department’s commitments in the National Disability Strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.

Tom Pursglove: In January 2022, the High Court declared the National Disability Strategy (NDS) was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations.The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) made five commitments in the NDS:Set out proposals to improve the experience of accessing disability benefits;Pilot an Access to Work Passport to help disabled people progress through education and move into employment;Make available a passport for all young disabled students, including those receiving Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), when they leave university;Encourage employers to hire disabled people and to create inclusive workplaces by reviewing Disability Confident, strengthening the Voluntary Reporting Framework, and disseminating best practice to employers; andExpand trials for supported employment services.Since the NDS was published, DWP has: Published the Health and Disability White Paper, which sets out the Government’s plans to reform the welfare system and make it better meet the needs of disabled people in Great Britain. This includes removing the Work Capability Assessment (meaning claimants will now only have to do one health assessment rather than two) and supporting claimants to try work without fear of losing their financial support;Delivered a pilot to test the Adjustments Passport in 3 universities. The pilot results were evaluated by the universities, demonstrating the value of the Adjustments Passport, which as a result is expected to be available, across all nations, beginning in September 2023;Implemented a Health Adjustments Passport to support disabled jobseekers and is implementing an Armed Forces Service Leavers Adjustments Passport. The DWP is continuing testing of the Adjustments Passport with various groups, including young people on vocational programmes;Paused work directly related to the Disability Confident review and strengthening the Voluntary Reporting Framework. The DWP continues to promote the Disability Confident Scheme and encourage sign-up through our regular engagement with the Business Leaders Group, employers of all sizes and other stakeholders; andProvided funding, in partnership with DHSC, for Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) supported employment services in 12 areas across 41 local authorities in England, to support people with health conditions to access paid jobs, and then support both the individual and their employer to ensure that the job is sustained.The Government also announced a wide-reaching package at the Spring Budget to support disabled people, and people with health conditions, to stay in, and return to work. This new investment builds on our existing extensive support to help disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in work. We remain fully committed to supporting disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society. To support this, the DWP will be providing further details of our recent achievements to improve disabled people’s lives in the forthcoming Disability Action Plan consultation due for publication in the summer. Ahead of this, I as the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, will write providing a list of these achievements and will place a copy in the House Library.

Maternity Allowance

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of excluding maternity allowance from the benefits cap.

Guy Opperman: No assessment has been made.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefits claims were suspended under the Risk Review Process in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021 and (e) 2022.

Tom Pursglove: The department’s Risk Review Team (RRT) was created in 2020, as a direct response to threats identified by the department’s Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service (IRIS). A breakdown of cases suspended as a result of the RRT process is therefore only available from the financial year ending March 2021. In the last three financial years the number of cases suspended as a result of the process are as follows: 2020/2021 – 152,101 cases 2021/2022 – 31,445 cases 2022/2023 – 6,244 cases We do not suspend claims lightly, and where we do, it will be clear to claimants what actions they need to take to resolve matters. Where a customer does contact us, and provides the information requested, we have processes in place to ensure people’s claims are put back into payment as soon as possible, and any arrears that are due are paid.

Universal Credit: Deductions

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 9 May 2023 to Question 182576 on Universal Credit: Deductions, if he will publish an updated version of Table 1 - Deductions to Universal Credit household awards containing data for each of the 12 months from March 2022 to February 2023.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) households had a and (b) children lived in households with a Universal Credit deduction from (i) March 2022 to February 2023, (ii) March 2021 to February 2022 and (iii) March 2020 to February 2021.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what total amount was taken from Universal Credit payments among households subject to a benefit deduction in (a) March 2020 to February 2021, (b) March 2021 to February 2022 and (c) March 2022 to February 2023.

Guy Opperman: The primary aim of the Universal Credit deductions policy is to protect vulnerable claimants by providing a last resort repayment method for arrears of essential services. In recent years, the standard UC deduction cap has been reduced twice – from 40% to 30% of the Standard Allowance in October 2019, and down to 25% in April 2021. The requested information is provided in the separate spreadsheet.189564/65/66 tables (xlsx, 20.1KB)

Child Maintenance Service: Complaints

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce (a) the time taken to process and (b) resolution times for outstanding Child Maintenance Service complaints; and what the average time is for resolving Child Maintenance Service complaints.

Mims Davies: DWP aims to contact customers within 15 working days to clear their complaint or agree how to investigate it if it will take longer. DWP now triage complaints giving priority to vulnerable claimants who may be at risk, and those with benefit payment issues. We continue to investigate all complaints as quickly as we can and, as part of the triage process, we write or call those customers, where there may be a delay in answering their complaint. Since 2021, Child Maintenance Service complaints team have seen their response times to complainants steadily improve and are now responding to almost all complaints within the timescale. The Department does not measure complaints as described in the question and to determine this request, we would need to examine each individual case, which the Department considers to be cost prohibitive to provide.

Families: Disadvantaged

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Reducing Parental Conflict programme in supporting at-risk children of alcohol dependent parents.

Mims Davies: The Reducing Parental Conflict programme aims to improve child outcomes by reducing parental conflict that is frequent, intense and unresolved. In 2018 the DWP and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) launched the Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents (CADeP) programme. This included funding of £5.7 million for 9 areas (13 local authorities), to reduce parental conflict alongside improving existing systems of treatment for parents with alcohol dependency. To ensure that the learning from the programme was shared, DHSC commissioned an independent evaluation of the innovation fund. This evaluation has been published and can be found at Evaluation of the Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents programme innovation fund: full report - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The following findings of the evaluation were of particular interest to DWP in relation to the RPC elements of this programme: There were improvements in the timely identification of alcohol dependent parents and their children, and improved integration and quality of local systems and interventions, especially between substance misuse services and children’s services.Positive improvement to family dynamics where parents gave accounts of their children being happier following whole-family interventions delivered by the RPC programme.Positive feedback from children who participated in whole-family interventions. RPC practitioners were successful in building trust and confidence amongst at-risk children of alcohol dependent parents.The current phase of the Reducing Parental Conflict programme runs between 2022 and 2025, with up to £19 million to fund training, delivery of support, co-ordination and evaluation. This supports Local Authorities to choose activity that best suits local need. This government remains committed to strengthening the support available to children and families, working with local authorities through government funded programmes including Reducing Parental Conflict, Supporting Families and Family Hubs /Start for Life.

Kickstart Scheme

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Kickstart scheme.

Mims Davies: The Kickstart evaluation will continue to assess the longer-term outcomes for Kickstart participants after they have completed their six-month jobs. The commissioned process evaluation concluded in Spring 2023. We aim to publish the findings shortly.

Carer's Allowance: Pensioners

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people lost their Carer’s Allowance because they had reached pensionable age in each of the last 20 years .

Tom Pursglove: The information requested on how many people lost their Carer’s Allowance because they had reached pensionable age in each of the last 20 years is not held. The department does not hold data on the reason Carer’s Allowance claimants lose their Carer’s Allowance award.There is no upper age limit to claiming Carer’s Allowance, however, it cannot normally be paid with the State Pension. It has been a long-held feature of the UK’s benefit system that where someone is entitled to two benefits for the same contingency, then whilst there may be entitlement to both benefits, only one will be paid. Although entitlement to State Pension and Carer’s Allowance arise in different circumstances, they are nevertheless paid for the same contingency – as an income replacement: Carer’s Allowance replaces income where the carer has given up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to care for a severely disabled person, while the State Pension replaces income in retirement. For this reason, social security rules operate to prevent them being paid together, to avoid duplicate provision for the same need. If a carer’s State Pension is less than Carer's Allowance, State Pension is paid and topped up with Carer's Allowance to the basic weekly rate of Carer's Allowance, which is currently £76.75. Where Carer’s Allowance cannot be paid, the person will keep underlying entitlement to the benefit. This gives access to the additional amount for carers in Pension Credit of £42.75 a week and even if a pensioner’s income is above the limit for Pension Credit, he or she may still be able to receive Housing Benefit.

Wind Power: Health and Safety

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of safety incident data for the UK set out in the report by the G+ Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation entitled 2022 incident data report; and if he will make a statement.

Mims Davies: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recognises that the expected life of an offshore wind farm, from construction to decommissioning will be around 25 years. During this time, the extent of the activity, and hence the risk, will vary significantly. HSE has a targeted programme of preventive inspections to offshore wind farms based on their risk profile from a range of data, including safety incidents, to ensure those presenting the highest risk receive the appropriate regulatory attention. This data will also be used to determine the policy for regulating the offshore wind sector. HSE focuses on identifying underlying causes and common issues to reduce the risk of accidents and / or near misses, and engaging with relevant trade bodies, including G+, to enable risks to be adequately managed. All duty holders are encouraged by HSE to focus on health and safety leadership and to have adequate competence in workers at all levels.

Household Support Fund

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Household Support Fund Grant.

Mims Davies: DWP requires that Local Authorities provide Management Information (MI) returns to the Department which demonstrate that they have met our guidance in delivering the scheme. Local Authorities are paid in arrears on the satisfactory completion of these MI returns. Management Information for HSF1 can be found here. Management Information for HSF2 can be found here. Local Authorities have been asked in the scheme guidance to support households in the most need, and in particular, those who may not be eligible for the other support government has recently made available. Local Authorities have the local ties and knowledge, making them best placed to identify and help those most in need. County Councils are expected to work together with District Councils to provide support and to ensure the funding meets its objectives by identifying those most in need. The Secretary of State confirmed at the Work and Pensions Select Committee on 29 March 2023 that there would be an evaluation of HSF4 to understand the overall effectiveness of the scheme and how funding was spent.

Covid Local Support Grant

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Covid Local Support Grant.

Mims Davies: The £200million COVID Local Support Grant Scheme was made available from 17 April to 30 September 2021 to support those most in need across England with the cost of food, energy (heating, cooking, lighting), water bills (including sewerage) and other essentials.The scheme was administered as a £40million grant covering the period 17 April to 20 June and a further grant of £160million covering the period 21 June to 30 September.DWP required that Local Authorities provide Management Information (MI) returns to the Department which demonstrate that they have met our guidance in delivering the scheme. Local Authorities were paid in arrears on the satisfactory completion of these MI returns. Management Information for the COVID Local Support Grant can be found here.

Housing Benefit

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Verification of Earnings and Pensions service.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) monitors the outcomes after sending Verify Earnings and Pensions (VEP) alerts to local authorities (LAs) using management information. By tracking what subsequently happens to the value of a claim we assessed that in 2020-21 there was a significant saving for the taxpayer. DWP are continually working with LAs to improve the effectiveness of the VEP service.

Social Security Benefits: Terminal Illnesses

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional financial support to people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and are unable to work.

Tom Pursglove: The department is committed to supporting people nearing the end of life. The main way the department does this is through special benefit rules, called the Special Rules for End of Life. These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, and in most cases receive the highest rate of benefit, without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods.From 3rd April 2023, individuals with 12-months or less to live, where they meet the relevant eligibility criteria, ate able to claim Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, and Attendance Allowance, under the Special Rules for End of Life. These changes mean that thousands of people nearing the end of life are able to claim fast track financial support from the benefits system.

Employment: Disability

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure employers make the right adjustments for disabled people.

Tom Pursglove: In 2022, we delivered legislative changes, which extended fit note certification to other healthcare professionals e.g., Occupational Therapists. Extending certification will allow these professionals to provide more tailored advice to patients to support them to discuss any reasonable adjustments with their employers and stay in, or return to, employment. Our new digital information service for employers, “Support with Employee Health and Disability”, is currently available to businesses nationally in public live testing. This includes information to help employers make reasonable adjustments. Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant which contributes to the disability-related extra costs of working faced by disabled people and those with a health condition in the workplace that are beyond standard reasonable adjustments. It does not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments.

Personal Independence Payment

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made a recent equality impact assessment on the Personal Independence Payment in the context of the ethnicity of people who have been awarded that payment.

Tom Pursglove: The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) places a legal duty on the DWP to consider how its decisions impact differently on different people and in particular those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. While an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) is not a legal requirement of the PSED, it is one of the ways a department can demonstrate consideration of, and compliance, with its duty. Prior to the introduction of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), an EIA, including against ethnicity, was completed which can be found here Disability Living Allowance reform – equality impact assessment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). EIAs are carried out in relation to significant proposals or changes to PIP, the most recent of which was in 2022. The Family Resources Survey, published annually, also contains ethnicity data by benefit, including PIP.

Jobcentres: Disability

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to take steps to increase access to specialist assistive technology by disabled people using jobcentres.

Guy Opperman: I would refer to the answer already given at PQ 181920 in relation to the support provided to customers in our Jobcentres.

Jobcentres: Staff

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many work coaches work for Jobcentre Plus by (a) region and (b) nation.

Guy Opperman: RegionTotal Work CoachesCentral Area2,870London and Essex Area2,910North East Area1,060North West and North Central Area2,670Scotland Area1,210Southern Area2,680Wales Area670Other60Total14,130  NationTotal Work CoachesEngland12,190Scotland1,210Wales670Other60Total14,130Source: DWP’s internal Activity Based Model (ABM)  Notes:   Data is correct as of May 2023.Data for Work Coaches does not include Work Coach Team Leaders.Figures were derived from the Department’s Activity Based Model (ABM), which provides Full Time Equivalent (FTE) figures based on point in time estimate by Line Managers. They cover only FTE with paid employment. They have been rounded to the nearest 10.Where the Department’s data does not show a specific site, this has been included in the table as “Other”The number of Work Coaches is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal department use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard. As the Department holds the information, we have released it.

Universal Credit: Social Rented Housing

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had recent discussions with social landlords who are in the discovery areas of the managed migration to Universal Credit on taking steps to ensure that the landlord portal supports tenants adequately; and if he will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: The DWP has regular engagement with a number of representatives across the Social Rented Sector (SRS) landlord community, which includes a move to Universal Credit (UC) monthly update. The Universal Credit Landlord Portal allows social rented sector landlords to verify rent and submit managed payment requests online, rather than by email. The Portal is offered to SRS landlords with Trusted Partner status. Trusted Partners are registered social landlords (including stock owning local authorities) that have made an agreement with DWP. They have agreed to support their tenants, where possible with financial and personal budgeting. In exchange they are allowed to request an Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA, previously known as MPTL) for their tenants whenever they identify a need and DWP will implement them without challenge.

Social Security Benefits: Children

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of families in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency subject to the two child benefit limit.

Guy Opperman: 310 Universal Credit households. Notes:Base: Those in receipt of Universal Credit at 2 April 2022‘affected’ includes households that have an exception in place but receive the UC child element due to their exception.Universal Credit figures are for GB only (as DWP do not administer Universal Credit in Northern Ireland)Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and may not sum due to roundingParliamentary Constituency is derived using postcode lookup data against the claimant address, however parliamentary constituency is not present for all households in this data source

Cabinet Office

Ministers: Legal Costs

Karl Turner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of the former ministers that have been given legal representation paid for by the public purse for (a) parliamentary and (b) Privileges Committee inquiries.

Alex Burghart: There are no plans to publish such a list. There is an established precedent across multiple administrations based on the principle that former Ministers, of all political colours, may be supported with legal representation after they have left office – when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister of the Crown. This has been the case in public inquiries into matters such as BSE, Iraq, Grenfell, Infected Blood, Child Sexual Abuse and Covid. However, the principle is not limited to public inquiries and has been applied in other contexts, for example, litigation. The same principle can also be applied to Parliamentary inquiries, where it relates to one’s conduct as Minister of the Crown.

Cabinet Office: Access to Work Programme

Chris Stephens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Jeremy Quin: Since April 2022 the Cabinet Office has had responsibility for providing Access to Work Scheme adjustments for its staff. The Cabinet Office has supported a number of individuals through the Access to Work framework and the Department’s Workplace Adjustments Team.

Bill Gates

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many occasions (a) ministers and (b) officials held meetings with Bill Gates in each year since 2010; and what the reasons were for those meetings; and who was present at each of those meetings.

Alex Burghart: Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

Office for Veterans' Affairs: Official Hospitality

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Office for Veterans' Affairs has spent on hospitality in each of the last four financial years.

Johnny Mercer: In line with Cabinet Office policy, it is permissible for Business Units to provide hospitality for meetings with external partners such as industry or foreign governments. All Business Units within the Cabinet Office have a responsibility to keep official hospitality costs as low as possible and demonstrate good value for money. The Cabinet Office’s hospitality spend is published on GOV.UK in the usual way.

Public Sector: Pay

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data his Department holds on the average pay increase for (a) civil servants and (b) other public sector workers who were (i) prohibited and (ii) not prohibited from striking in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Quin: Pay for civil servants below the Senior Civil Service is delegated to individual departments and the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance sets the framework for departments to set pay. The Cabinet Office does not hold complete data on the average pay increases in Departments for civil servants nor for public sector workers covered by the pay remit guidance. No staff covered under the pay remit guidance are prohibited from striking.The Cabinet Office publishes summary figures on salaries across the Civil Service as part of the Civil Service Statistics publications. Median salaries by grade and department in the last five years can be found in the Civil Service Statistics publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics.These figures are the overall values, and may not represent the changes for individual civil servants.

Older People

Feryal Clark: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the population of (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield, (c) London and (d) England is over 65.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon lady's Parliamentary Question of 12 June is attached. UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 111.7KB)

English Language

Feryal Clark: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the population of (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield, (c) London and (d) England has English as their second language.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 12 June is attached. UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 150.7KB)

Department for Business and Trade

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to support the steel industry.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government is actively engaging with the steel industry for a sustainable future. The industry has been able to bid into competitive funds worth more than £1billion to support energy efficiency and decarbonisation. The British Industry Supercharger will bring energy costs for energy intensive industries, including steel, in line with the world’s major economies.We have updated the Steel Procurement Policy Note to create a level playing field for UK steel producers, implemented a robust trade remedies framework to protect domestic industry, including steel, and acted to resolve market access constraints on steel trade with the US and the EU.

Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Investment to the debate on the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill in the House of Lords on 27 March 2023, Official Report, column 1GC, whether she plans to publish a consultation on expanding shareholder information in the Companies House register.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill includes measures to reform the role of Companies House and improve transparency over UK companies. This includes a package of measures to strengthen shareholder information requirements whilst ensuring the appropriate balance is struck to avoid imposing disproportionate burdens on business. The Government is mindful of stakeholder concerns expressed in response to the Government’s 2019 consultation. This is why the Government would first consult stakeholders about what, if any, additional information it would be proportionate to require.

Department for Business and Trade: Access to Work Scheme

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Kevin Hollinrake: Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant which contributes to the disability-related extra costs of working faced by disabled people and those with a health condition in the workplace that are beyond standard reasonable adjustments. It does not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments.The Department for Business and Trade has assumed responsibility for providing such adjustments for their staff.

Collective Bargaining

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to increase the areas of the economy covered by sectoral collective bargaining.

Kevin Hollinrake: Collective bargaining in the UK is largely a matter for individual employers, their employees and their trade unions. Many employers recognise a union voluntarily. Where an employer refuses to recognise a union, our trade union law provides for a statutory recognition procedure. This allows independent unions to apply to the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) to be statutorily recognised for collective bargaining purposes.Unions that can demonstrate that they have majority support for recognition in the workplace will secure statutory recognition from the CAC.

Conditions of Employment: EU Law

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2023 to Question 184678 on Conditions of Employment: EU Law, if she will publish the cost of retrieving that information.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2023 to Question 184678 on Conditions of Employment: EU Law, how many hon. Members contacted her on that matter.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2023 to Question 184678 on Conditions of Employment: EU Law, which Hon. members wrote to her on that matter.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost and would fall above the £850 cost threshold to retrieve this information.

Delivery Services: Regulation

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending Ofcom's regulatory role to include courier services.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Postal Services Act 2011 provides Ofcom with powers to impose conditions on postal operators, including courier services. Ofcom consulted on consumer protection in the parcels market, as part of its 2022 review of postal regulation. As a result, new guidance came into effect in April 2023 on how Ofcom expects parcel operators to comply with their current obligations.

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Public Procurement Note 04/23: Procuring Steel in Government Contracts, published 11 April 2023, on the domestic steel industry.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The updated Public Procurement Note (PPN) 04/23 implements most of the recommendations produced by the Steel Procurement Taskforce, which is a joint effort between Government and the steel industry to help the sector best position itself for success in public contracts.PPN 04/23 reflects changes to the project appraisal and procurement policy landscape and commercial best practice while clarifying the scope of reporting requirements on steel origin data. It also enhances our procurement data collection methodology, and it emphasises the importance of early engagement between procurers, producers, and suppliers, to help make future opportunities more visible.

Fish: Animal Feed

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to reduce the tariff on fish feed imported from the Faroe Islands.

Nigel Huddleston: The UK and the Faroe Islands met in February for the UK-Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement Joint Committee. Officials discussed implementation of the FTA and remain in contact on a number of areas of trade, including the possibility of further liberalisation of fish feed imports from the Faroe Islands.

Deep Sea Mining: Licensing

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of granting deep sea mining licences on deep sea marine life.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The UK is continuing to develop a better understanding of the impacts of deep-sea mining. Through Government sponsorship of academic research and existing exploration licences, over 70 peer-reviewed publications supporting a greater understanding of environmental issues have already been produced, with more to come. We have also commissioned an independent evidence review into the potential risks and benefits of deep-sea mining, and this has been published in line with our commitment to transparency and developing the global evidence base in relation to deep-sea mining. Further and detailed environmental impact assessments would be required in advance of any exploitation licence being issued by the UK.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Belarus: Cuba

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of allegations that Cuban nationals are undertaking military training in Belarus with the consent of the Cuban government on the UK's bilateral relations with Cuba.

David Rutley: We continue to monitor reports of the discussion of potential military co-operation between Belarus and Cuba, following comments made by the Belarus Deputy Defence Minister. The UK has a long standing policy of engagement with Cuba. Our relationship allows us to collaborate positively in areas of mutual interest and to talk frankly on matters where our views and interests differ.

British Nationals Abroad: Detainees

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of British citizens who are being held captive against their will abroad.

David Rutley: We tailor our support to British nationals depending on the type of case and the specific circumstances and what we consider to be in their best interests. This includes raising individual cases with the relevant overseas authorities, including at Ministerial level, where appropriate. While case numbers change daily, we publish transparency data on gov.uk [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/consular-data] with the number of new cases for each case type and each country every month and then annually. It is not mandatory for UK nationals to report incidents to the FCDO, or our diplomatic missions, so the data we provide only covers incidents reported to us.

Afghanistan: Women

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage the Taliban regime to enable (a) women and girls to have a full education including university, (b) women to take up employment and (c) women and girls to (i) visit parks and (ii) engage in normal activities outside their homes.

Leo Docherty: The Government strongly condemns the restrictions the Taliban have imposed on Afghan women and girls. We are working with our mission in Doha and the international community, including through the G7 and UN, to press the Taliban to reverse their harmful policies.Respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls are prerequisites for sustainable economic development in Afghanistan. We continue to support the delivery of education, including Community Based Education through our bilateral and multilateral contributions.On 6 March, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister for South Asia, met UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, and the Director of UN Women, Sima Bahaus, after their visit to Afghanistan to discuss the Taliban's restrictions on women and girls.

Syria and Turkey: Humanitarian Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the humanitarian aid provided to (a) Turkey and (b) Syria following the earthquakes in February 2023; and whether his Department plans to provide further support to people in those countries.

Leo Docherty: The UK was amongst the first countries to deliver life-saving aid to Turkey and Syria and has committed £43 million in aid. Following the emergency response phase, the UK will continue to stand in solidarity with Turkey and to look at what more we can do to support the longer-term recovery effort bilaterally and through multilateral funds. In Syria, already one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, we continue to provide lifesaving and life-sustaining assistance and invest in early recovery activities, including through our pledge to spend up to £150 million in 2023/24 to support the Syrian people and refugee-hosting countries.

Montserrat: Coastal Areas

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress has been made on the project to develop the port and town of Little Bay in Montserrat.

David Rutley: Through the UK's Caribbean Infrastructure Fund (UKCIF), HMG has supported the Montserrat Port Development Project with a grant of £28.3 million that will allow the construction of a new 130 metre long pier in Little Bay. The pier is being designed to ensure calm mooring conditions in most weather conditions for the majority of vessels that call at Little Bay, including ferries, cargo and container ships, cruise ships and pleasure craft. Work is underway, relocation of coral has been completed and dredging is ongoing. Completion is scheduled for the first half of 2024.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Undocumented Migrants

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to provide support to help border forces in Turks & Caicos Police and Border to reduce illegal immigration.

David Rutley: We are committed to supporting Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) with their efforts to protect their borders and tackle illegal migration and human trafficking. The UK Government is procuring a maritime surveillance aircraft to help them bolster their border security and funding work to introduce electronic borders. The UK Government is also working closely with international partners including the Haitian authorities to build a coordinated response that addresses the root causes of irregular migration from Haiti to TCI.

St Helena: Freight

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is providing assistance to help reduce freight costs to St Helena.

David Rutley: The UK Government funded a new airport on St Helena (completed in 2016) to facilitate the transport of both passengers and freight. The UK will also provide up to £33.06 million of financial aid in 2023/24 to support the delivery of public services and access to the island, including any St Helena Government support towards shipping costs. A further £30 million is being provided between 2019-2026 for infrastructure development, including new port facilities that will facilitate better shipping services. The St Helena Government is responsible for the island's freight services and is in the process of tendering a new shipping contract.

Montserrat: Roads

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to improve road transport infrastructure in Montserrat.

David Rutley: The UK Government has supported Montserrat through a £40 million Capital Investment Programme for Resilient and Economic Growth (CIPREG), which has been spread over six years from 2019-2025. Under this programme a new hot mix asphalt plant has been procured and is currently completing its commissioning. This new plant will allow the Government of Montserrat to undertake routine maintenance of the roads and begin resurfacing high priority areas.

Nova Scotia: Fires

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he will plans to provide support to the Government of Nova Scotia to help tackle wildfires.

David Rutley: We have been in contact with the Canadian Foreign Minister and Canadian Government officials, offering UK support and our sympathy, following the devastating wildfires. Canada is a close partner of the UK, and we will continue to work together closely and provide support to one another in times of crisis.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the African Union Roadmap for the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of Sudan, published by the African Union on 23 May 2023, what diplomatic steps he is taking to (a) support and (b) help coordinate international action on each of the roadmap actions.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK support the efforts of the African Union (AU) to secure a peace process and end hostilities in Sudan. The UK issued a joint statement alongside its Troika partners (US and Norway) on 29 May, reaffirming our support for the AU's Roadmap for the resolution of the conflict in Sudan, and welcoming the AU's work to establish an 'Expanded Mechanism' to coordinate the process. The UK is now also a member of the African Union-led Core Group which is working towards inclusive regional and international action to secure a viable peace process. The UK will continue to pursue all diplomatic avenues to end the violence, de-escalate tensions and secure humanitarian access in Sudan. Alongside international partners, we urge all Sudanese stakeholders to end hostilities and engage urgently in an inclusive dialogue that will deliver the peace and stability that the Sudanese people deserve.

Migration: Climate Change

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June to Question 187866 on Migration: Climate Change, what the outcomes of the meetings were with (a) the Global Forum for Migration and Development, (b) International Dialogue on Migration and (c) the International Migration Review Forum on climate-driven migration.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Climate change and human mobility is both the overarching topic and the theme of working group one of the 2022 - 2023 Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD). The GFMD is currently ongoing, and its findings will be presented at the GFMD Summit in January 2024. The 2022 International Dialogue on Migration (IDM) focussed on the impacts of food insecurity and climate change on migration and displacement and resulted in recommendations for COP27, its final report can be found here: IDM No. 34. At the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF), climate and migration was discussed in roundtables, country statements and at many side events. This article by the Centre for Global Development summarises how it was covered: Climate Migration at the 2022 IMRF.

Iran: Palestinians

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent of Iran's influence on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

David Rutley: The UK Government regularly assesses the impact of Iran's activity throughout the Middle East, including its political, financial and military support to several militant and proscribed groups. We work closely with our partners to deter destabilising Iranian activity in the region, including through a range of sanctions designations. We are aware of the activities of Iranian-backed militant organisations and we are working hard to de-escalate tensions in order to achieve a peaceful negotiated solution for Israel and the Palestinians.

Iran: Guided Weapons

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of Iran's ballistic missile capabilities.

David Rutley: Iran's ballistic missile programme destabilises the region and threatens European security. UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (UNSCR 2231) calls on Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such technology. Alongside France and Germany, we have written regularly to the UN Secretary-General to draw attention to Iranian missile activity inconsistent with UNSCR 2231, most recently on 12 June. We urge Iran to fully abide by UNSCR 2231 and all other relevant resolutions.

World Health Organisation: Disease Control

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to help ensure that (a) stakeholders and (b) the public are able to feed into (i) the UK’s position and (ii) responses to amendments submitted by other countries on the World Health Organisation’s Pandemic Preparedness Treaty.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: From the beginning of negotiations on the pandemic instrument, the UK has engaged with academics, civil society organisations, trade associations and other non-state actors to aid policy development in specific areas. Additionally, the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) and the World Health Organisation have encouraged and facilitated non-state actor participation, informal consultations and formal public hearings, and have considered formal written submissions. Non-state actors, as nominated by Member States, can contribute to open INB sessions on the instrument. The UK will continue to engage with stakeholders throughout the negotiating process.

Sudan: War Crimes

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to support (a) evidence preservation and (b) international investigations relating to alleged atrocities in El Geneina, Sudan since 15 April 2023; and whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in the (i) African Union, (ii) United Nations and (iii) other countries and international organisations on those alleged atrocities and ensuring civilian protection.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK strongly condemns the deliberate attacks and human rights violations and abuses against civilians in West Darfur, Sudan, as well as the killing of the West Darfur Governor, Khamis Abaker. We will continue to raise our concerns over human rights violations in international fora such as the UN Human Rights Council. The UK has released funding to organisations who are working with local partners to collect, verify and preserve digital content from the conflict, including incidents of significant abuses. This will play a vital role in amplifying the voices of those who are being targeted and would be permissible in future accountability mechanisms should they be established. The UK is pursuing all diplomatic avenues, including Ministerial engagement with regional counterparts, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and African Union (AU) to end the violence and de-escalate tensions in Sudan.

Development Aid: Genito-urinary Medicine

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 181199 on Development Aid: Genito-urinary Medicine, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of monitoring the level of funding that is allocated to (a) overseas abortion services and (b) supporting pregnant women and children overseas.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: FCDO tracks funding for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, including safe abortion services. However, as FCDO takes an integrated approach to our programming on sexual and reproductive health and rights, it is not possible to give a specific figure for our funding for the provision of safe abortion services.

Serbia: Abduction

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the alleged kidnap of three Kosovan Police Officers by Serbian forces in the territory of the Republic of Kosovo; and if he will make a statement.

Leo Docherty: On 16 June the UK called for the immediate release of the three Kosovo police officers detained on 14 June by Serbian Gendarmerie in disputed circumstances. The US and Germany have similarly publicly called for their release. This latest incident further underlines the importance of de-escalation and a return to dialogue to bring to an end the current cycle of tensions. The Foreign Secretary and Lord Peach have spoken to leaders in both Serbia and Kosovo to reinforce this message in recent days.

Haiti: Floods

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is providing overseas assistance to Haiti to help tackle flooding in that country.

David Rutley: The UK Government is contributing to relief efforts through the Start Fund: a UK-based, NGO-managed, multi-donor, pooled fund for humanitarian response. The Start Fund has allocated nearly £390k to ACTED, ActionAid and World Jewish Relief to carry out relief activities in Haiti. The UK is the largest donor to the Start Fund and also provides central contributions to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Office which is currently providing food assistance to over 30k affected people.

Department of Health and Social Care

Members: Correspondence

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 25 May 2023 from the hon. Member for Tooting on the Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Bowel Cancer: Screening

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies regional variations in the uptake of the bowel cancer screening programme.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Disability

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Disability Strategy published 28 July 2021, which of his Department’s commitments in that strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Infectious Diseases: Disease Control

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy in negotiations on a pandemic preparedness treaty that responsibility for the (a) planning and (b) implementation of future pandemic responses will rest with the UK Government and not the World Health Organisation.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Medical Records: Databases

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of NHS trusts have electronic patient records in place.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Information Officers

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full time equivalent staff his Department employs incommunications roles.

Will Quince: As of 31 May 2023, there were 73.9 full time equivalent staff within the Communications Directorate at the Department.This covers roles across the communications profession, including marketing, press and media relations, internal communications, stakeholder management, digital communications and social media management.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Hospital Beds

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services, published on 30 January 2023, what progress his Department has made on its target to create 5,000 emergency care beds.

Will Quince: We are continuing to make progress to deliver the 5,000 staffed, permanent beds set out in our Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan, supported by £1 billion of additional funding. NHS England has worked with integrated care boards to review local demand and capacity and ensure plans are put in place to deliver the increases to National Health Service capacity needed to deliver this ambition.

Rheumatology

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan will include specific plans to increase the number of (a) rheumatology consultants (b) rheumatology clinical nurse specialists.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan will include specific plans to increase the number of rheumatology medical school places.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan will include specific plans to increase the number of (a) paediatric rheumatology consultants (b) paediatric rheumatology clinical nurse specialists.

Will Quince: We have commissioned NHS England to develop a long term workforce plan for the next 15 years. The plan is for the whole of the National Health Service workforce and will not get into detail for particular specialisations.

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for child and adolescent mental health services.

Maria Caulfield: In February 2022, NHS England and NHS Improvement published the outcomes of its consultation on the potential to introduce five new access and waiting time standards for mental health services as part of its clinically-led review of NHS Access Standards. This included one for children, young people and their families or carers presenting to community-based mental health services to start receiving care within four weeks from referral. We are now working with NHS England and NHS Improvement on the next steps.

Nurses: Ethnic Groups

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of ethnic minority nurses at band 8a or above.

Will Quince: The National Health Service is one of the most diverse organisations in this country and we hugely value the contribution that all staff make to delivering care and supporting patients.On 8 June 2023, NHS England published an Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) improvement plan for the NHS workforce. There has been progress in improving diversity of senior management teams; the total number of ethnic minority staff at very senior manager level has increased by 69.7% since 2018 from 201 to 341.The EDI plan requires NHS organisations and integrated care boards to create talent management plans to improve diversity of boards and senior roles and to implement plans to widen recruitment opportunities within local communities. This includes a focus on career pathways into the NHS such as apprenticeship programmes and graduate management training schemes.

Care Quality Commission

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of hours of Time Off In Lieu accrued by staff working in the Regulatory leadership directorate at the Care Quality Commission in each of the last 18 months.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of hours of Time Off In Lieu accrued by staff working in the Engagement Strategy & Policy directorate at the Care Quality Commission in each of the last 18 months.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of hours of Time Off In Lieu accrued by staff working in the Customer and Corporate Operations directorate at the Care Quality Commission in each of the last 18 months..

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of hours of Time Off In Lieu accrued by staff working in the Technology Data and Insight directorate at the Care Quality Commission in each of the last 18 months.

Maria Caulfield: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an executive non-department public body of the Department. The information requested about the CQC’s staffs’ working patterns is not held centrally.

Disease Control: Public Inquiries

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the implications for his policies on preparing for pandemics of public inquiries into covid-19 taking place in other countries.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the (a) outcomes and (b) lessons learned from the covid-19 inquiries in other countries.

Maria Caulfield: The Department is building on the valuable lessons to be learnt from COVID-19 to inform our preparedness for future pandemics and will review the lessons learnt reports from other countries with interest and ensure any relevant lessons are factored into our pandemic preparedness plans going forward. We continue to work with other Governments to share relevant information and explore areas for collaboration, through for example the Global Health Security Initiative. Work to share lessons learnt from COVID-19 continues through engagement on both a Government to Government basis and in multilateral forums such as the G7, G20 and World Health organisation.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Prescriptions

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people using hormone replacement therapy prepayment certificates in (a) Enfield North constituency and (b) each region of the UK.

Maria Caulfield: It is estimated that 1,235 hormone replacement therapy prescription pre-payment certificates (HRT PPCs) were issued to patients in the Enfield North area. Between the launch of the service on 1 April 2023 and the end of 13 June 2023, there were 250,971 applications for an HRT PPC across England. The HRT PPC’s do not apply outside England.

Care Quality Commission

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Care Quality Commission's independent review on Listening, Learning and Responding to Concerns, published in March 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Department welcomed the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) independent review report on Listening, Learning and Responding to Concerns. On 24 May 2023, CQC’s board discussed the outcome of the review and committed to placing the recommendations of the review into its new ways of working and the imminent adoption of the regulatory platform and single assessment framework. CQC will set up an independent panel to evaluate whether the changes CQC will have a positive impact. The Department will also assess CQC’s progress against the review’s recommendations through its usual assurance process.

Disabled Facilities Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Disabled Facilities Grants.

Maria Caulfield: The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) supports around 50,000 older and disabled people in England each year to adapt their homes to make them safe and suitable for their needs. Adaptations funded through the DFG can reduce emergency admissions to hospital, speed up a return home following a hospital stay and delay, or even prevent, the need for costly residential care in future. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) collects voluntary local authority-level data returns, including information on local DFG delivery, via its DELTA system. Raw data from local authorities is analysed by Foundations, the DLUHC funded national body for DFGs and home improvement agencies. The 2021-22 report on local DFG delivery is available online at the following link: www.foundations.uk.com/library/dfg-performance/ There is good evidence of the impact and effectiveness of housing adaptations generically, and the DFG specifically. For example, Public Health England’s falls prevention toolkit (2018) compared the impact of different interventions on preventing falls, including exercise classes and home adaptations. It found that adaptations produce significantly higher returns on investment with £1 of investment in home assessment and modification saving £3.17 on health and care costs. If quality of life gains for the individual are considered, savings rise to £7.34 per £1 spent.

Long Covid: Clinics

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to confirm whether he plans to ringfence funding for long covid clinics after April 2024.

Maria Caulfield: Long COVID-19 clinics are funded from NHS England’s Service Development Funding. Plans for 2024/2025 will be set out in NHS England’s Operational Planning Guidance for 2024/25 by the end of this calendar year.

Temperature

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help ensure that information on the importance of hydration in hot weather is communicated to the public.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he is taking steps to help ensure that information on the importance of (a) skin protection, (b) covering up and (c) using an appropriate factor sun cream is communicated to the public.

Maria Caulfield: UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published guidance to the public on how to stay safe in hot weather including the importance of staying hydrated and protecting yourself from the sun. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beat-the-heat-hot-weather-advice/beat-the-heat-staying-safe-in-hot-weather. UKHSA also produced a Hot Weather communications toolkit. This toolkit is shared with regional communications, cross-government partners, and local government to support consistent and clear messaging on hot weather.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Prescriptions

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the level of take-up of HRT prepayment certificates in (a) England and (b) Leicestershire.

Maria Caulfield: Between the launch of the service on 1 April 2023 and the end of 13 June 2023, there were 250,971 applications for a Hormone Replacement Therapy Prescription Prepayment Certificate across England. It is estimated that 5,237 applications were received from patients in the Leicestershire area.

Eating Disorders: Health Services

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to improve (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of eating disorders.

Maria Caulfield: Under the NHS Long Term Plan, we will invest almost £1 billion extra in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness by 2023/24. This will give 370,000 adults with severe mental illnesses, including eating disorders, greater choice and control over their care and support them to live well in their communities. As part of this we are expanding community eating disorder services capacity, including crisis care and intensive home treatment.Since 2016, investment in children and young people's community eating disorder services has risen every year, with an extra £54 million per year from 2022/23. This extra funding will enhance the capacity of community eating disorder teams across the country. NHS England is refreshing guidance on children and young people's eating disorders, including to increase the focus on early identification and intervention. Updated guidance will highlight the importance of improved integration between dedicated community eating disorder services, wider children and young people's mental health services, schools, colleges and primary care to improve awareness, provide expert advice and improve support for children and young people presenting with problems with eating, whilst ensuring swift access to specialist support as soon as an eating disorder is suspected.

Rheumatology: Health Professions

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) rheumatology consultants, (b) rheumatology clinical nurse specialists, (c) specialist rheumatology physiotherapists, (d) psychologists, (e) podiatrists, (f) occupational health therapists and (g) specialist rheumatology pharmacists in North Central London Integrated Care System; and what steps he is taking to fill vacancies in these professions.

Will Quince: The table below shows the number of full-time equivalent staff, by staff group, working in North Central London Integrated Care System.Staff GroupFeb-19Feb-23Rheumatology Consultants2630Rheumatology Clinical Nurse SpecialistsNo data heldNo data heldSpecialist Rheumatology PhysiotherapistsNo data heldNo data heldPsychologists (Applied Psychology)827823Podiatrists7475Occupational Health Therapists602668Specialist Rheumatology PharmacistsNo data heldNo data heldSource: NHS Workforce StatisticsWe have commissioned NHS England to develop a long term workforce plan for the next 15 years. It will include projections for the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals needed and will set out the actions and reforms needed to reduce supply gaps and improve retention.On 10 January 2023, Health Education England announced that nearly 900 additional medical specialty training posts will be created for this year, including an additional 5 rheumatology specialty training posts. Rheumatology is a popular specialty with a fill rate of over 95%.

Mental health services: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of (a) mental health and (b) well-being support for people affected by neurological conditions in Enfield North constituency.

Maria Caulfield: No assessment has been made. The North Central London Integrated Care Board is responsible for decisions about the provision of mental health services and well-being support in Enfield and whether they are adequate to meet the needs of people, including those affected by neurological conditions, in the local population.

Suicide

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of the funding for suicide prevention and bereavement services in the NHS Long Term Plan has been spent on a) suicide prevention and b) bereavement services.

Maria Caulfield: A total of £57 million was allocated through the NHS Long Term Plan to enable every area of the country to receive funding for suicide prevention and bereavement services by 2023/24. Approximately two thirds of this £57 million, £38 million, has been spent on suicide prevention and the remainder on suicide bereavement services.The ‘NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 – 2023/24’ provides a detailed breakdown of this investment and the activity that it is due to fund. This is available at the following link: https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/nhs-mental-health-implementation-plan-2019-20-2023-24.pdf.The NHS Mental Health Dashboard sets out year by year spending plans for local and national NHS commissioning organisations, which is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/taskforce/imp/mh-dashboard/

Antidepressants: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of people aged over 50 who have been newly prescribed anti-depressants since the start of the covid-19 pandemic.

Maria Caulfield: The information requested is not held centrally.

Contraceptives: Women

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to birth control for women.

Maria Caulfield: We are committed to ensuring the public receive the best possible contraceptive services. We recently announced a £25 million investment over the next two years to accelerate the development of women’s health hubs. Women across England will benefit from tailored health care and support by the new hubs, improving access and quality of care for women’s health services including contraception.Furthermore, in April we introduced the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service. This service offers greater choice in how people can access contraception services. At this moment, community pharmacies can manage ongoing oral contraception for women. We will expand this service from late 2023 to enable pharmacies to also initiate oral contraception, dependent on findings from pilots currently underway.

Surrogacy

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendations of the Law Commission in its report on Building families through surrogacy: a new law and the proposals in its draft Surrogacy Bill, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to protect the rights and interests of surrogate mothers.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of legislation on surrogacy at preventing the coercion of women; and whether he plans to introduce legislative proposals to help prevent such coercion.

Maria Caulfield: The Law Commissions of England & Wales and Scotland published a full report of their review of surrogacy legislation, with a draft bill, on 28 March 2023. The Government is considering the report and will publish a response in due course.

Taplow Manor

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of blocking the admission of new patients to Taplow Manor Hospital until a review of the adequacy of the standard of care provided by that hospital has been completed.

Maria Caulfield: Whilst the Department has not made, and is not planning to make, any such assessments, NHS England and the local provider collaboratives are working intensively with Active Care Group to improve the quality of care at the Group’s hospitals, including Taplow Manor Hospital.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has advised that Active Care Group has added adults as a service user group to its registration of Taplow Manor Hospital however this does not remove the overall rating of inadequate for the service or the fact that the hospital still remains in special measures. The service will be kept under close review by the CQC and re-inspected to check sufficient improvements have been made. If on re-inspection, the CQC is still not satisfied with the progress made, it will take further action if necessary to protect the people using this service, including potentially removing the registration of the service or imposing registration conditions.The CQC will reinspect Taplow Manor in due course to rate the new core service of acute wards for adults of working age.

Taplow Manor

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of reopening Taplow Manor Hospital for adult patients.

Maria Caulfield: Whilst the Department has not made, and is not planning to make, any such assessments, NHS England and the local provider collaboratives are working intensively with Active Care Group to improve the quality of care at the Group’s hospitals, including Taplow Manor Hospital.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has advised that Active Care Group has added adults as a service user group to its registration of Taplow Manor Hospital however this does not remove the overall rating of inadequate for the service or the fact that the hospital still remains in special measures. The service will be kept under close review by the CQC and re-inspected to check sufficient improvements have been made. If on re-inspection, the CQC is still not satisfied with the progress made, it will take further action if necessary to protect the people using this service, including potentially removing the registration of the service or imposing registration conditions.The CQC will reinspect Taplow Manor in due course to rate the new core service of acute wards for adults of working age.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many claims have been received by the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in respect of adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines; and how many received more than (a) 18, (b) 12 and (c) six months ago have not yet reached an outcome.

Maria Caulfield: Since the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) started administering the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) on 1 November 2021, the VDPS has received 5,809 COVID-19 vaccine related claims. Of these claims the following have not yet received an outcome, 31 were received more than 18 months ago, 374 were received more than 12 months ago and 1,076 were received more than six months ago.While the average claim typically takes approximately six months to investigate and process from the date that the NHSBSA requests a claimant’s medical records, this timeline varies significantly depending on the individual circumstances of the claim and in particular on the length of time it takes healthcare providers to send the claimant’s medical records to NHSBSA. Steps are being taken to continuously improve processing times.

Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021 Grant.

Maria Caulfield: The Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act (the Act) came into force in October 2021. In 2021 to 2022, the Department provided the first non-ringfenced revenue grant to support local authorities in England with expenditure lawfully incurred or to be incurred because of the Act. No assessment was made of the effectiveness of this grant.To support Government efforts to simplify grant funding for local Government, from 2023/24 and onwards, the Botox and Fillers grant payment has been consolidated into the annual Public Health Grant (PHG). This increases assurance around the usage of the Botox and Fillers funding as local authorities are required to submit data on the overall PHG spend to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities where they publish data annually as part of the overall local Government revenue expenditure.In addition, local authorities are required to submit a preliminary and end-year assurance statement certifying that the PHG is spent in accordance with grant conditions.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many claims have been received under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme on behalf of someone who has died; how many such claims were successful; and how many such claims are outstanding.

Maria Caulfield: Since the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) started administering the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) on 1 November 2021, the VDPS has received 411 COVID-19 vaccine related claims on behalf of someone who has died. Of these claims, 27 claimants have been informed they are entitled to a Vaccine Damage Payment and 291 claims have not yet reached an outcome.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Appeals

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many independent medical assessors have decided claims made under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in respect of adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines; whether such assessors are medically qualified; and whether their decisions in respect of claims have been overruled by reviewers in his Department.

Maria Caulfield: 152 independent medical assessors have provided reports to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), who administer the scheme, relating to COVID-19 vaccine claims made under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS).All VDPS claims are medically assessed by an independent medical assessor. Independent medical assessors are General Medical Council registered doctors with a license to practise and at least five years’ experience.The Department is not involved in processing claims or making decisions on claim outcomes.

Endometriosis

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on (a) the number of people with (i) endometriosis and (ii) adenomyosis and (b) the average waiting time for (A) diagnosis and (B) medical treatment.

Maria Caulfield: The information requested is not held centrally. Gynaecology waiting lists in England, numbers of women waiting, and their waiting times are tracked and managed as part of the overall National Health Service focus on reducing the amount of time patients are waiting for elective care.Patients with symptoms of endometriosis will be prioritised based on clinical need. The NHS led Provider Collaborative has identified endometriosis as a priority area and recently established a group to develop further initiatives to reduce waiting times for endometriosis patients.

Incontinence

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the use of value-based procurement by (a) NHS and (b) social care services in purchasing incontinence products on (i) patient quality of life and (ii) health outcomes.

Will Quince: The Government's new Medical Technology Strategy, published in February 2023, commits to developing an environment that supports the understanding and delivery of value for money and affordability. Within the strategy, incontinence products have been identified as one area of focus. The Department will work with clinicians to review, assess and categorise similar products to lay the foundations for value based procurement. This assessment of products will be shared with NHS Supply Chain and other organisations involved in the purchase of incontinence products.

Rabies: Preventive Medicine

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis for UK residents travellingabroad as of 7 June 2023.

Will Quince: The Department has well established processes to manage and mitigate the small number of supply problems that may arise at any one time due to manufacturing or distribution issues.Rabipur (rabies vaccine) is currently available but due to increased demand, the manufacturer is capping orders to help widen access to supply.

Rheumatology

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to increase the number of NHS staff providing rheumatology care in (a) North West London and (b) England.

Will Quince: We continue to grow the National Health Service workforce and as of March 2023 there are over 12,900 more nurses and over 5,400  more doctors compared with 12 months earlier.   We are on target to meet the 50,000 nurses’ commitment, with over 44,000 more nurses in March 2023 than there were in September 2019.We are working with NHS England to develop workforce plans for our integrated care systems that link to national initiatives, including recruitment programmes for general practitioners, healthcare support workers, nurses and allied health professionals. We have also commissioned NHS England to produce a long term workforce plan, which will be published shortly.

Rheumatology: Staff

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to increase the number of NHS staff providing rheumatology care in (a) North Central London Integrated Care System area and (b) London.

Will Quince: We continue to grow the National Health Service workforce and as of March 2023, there are more than 12,900 additional nurses and over 5,400 more doctors compared to the previous year. We are on target to meet the 50,000 nurses’ commitment, with over 44,000 more nurses in March 2023 than there were in September 2019.We are working with NHS England to develop workforce plans for our integrated care systems that link to national initiatives, including recruitment programmes for general practitioners, healthcare support workers, nurses and allied health professionals. We have also commissioned NHS England to produce a long term workforce plan, which will be published shortly.

Ophthalmology: Waiting Lists

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting lists for eye treatment and surgery.

Will Quince: Health in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. In England, cutting waiting lists is one of this Government’s top priorities. We are making good progress on tackling the longest waits, to ensure patients get the care they need when they need it, including for eye treatment and surgery. The National Health Service had ambitions to eliminate waits of 18 months or more by April 2023. Thanks to the incredible work of NHS staff, official NHS England statistics show by April 2023 the total number of patients waiting more than 18 months was 10,737; a reduction of over 91% from the peak of almost 125,000 in September 2021. The Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help tackle waiting lists across all specialisms. This is supported by £5.9 billion investment in new beds, equipment and technology.The NHS is also rolling out new and expanded surgical hubs to increase capacity and activity, focusing on providing high volume, low complexity surgery such as ophthalmology. There are currently 93 operational elective surgical hubs across England.

Hospital Beds

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of NHS bed capacity in each month (a) since January 2023 and (B) until January 2024.

Will Quince: Information on National Health Service bed capacity is published by NHS England. The following table shows the general and acute (G&A) beds available and G&A bed occupancy rate from January 2023 to April 2023.MonthTotal G&A beds availableG&A bed occupancy rateJanuary 2023101,71794.1%February 2023101,09294.1%March 2023100,91093.9%April 2023100,08892.4% Our delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services has set a national ambition to increase bed capacity by 5,000 staffed, permanent beds in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23 plans. The plan is backed by £1 billion of dedicated funding to support capacity.

Mount Vernon Cancer Centre: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what avenues for new capital funding are available for the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre; and if he will make a statement.

Will Quince: We are investing over £9 billion in the National Health Service this year to deliver significant new capacity, including through additional beds, community diagnostic centres, surgical hubs, discharge facilities, hospital upgrades and new hospitals.As the vast majority of funding has already been allocated to individual schemes within these programmes, any new schemes will be considered through a new rolling capital investment programme, that will allow for the construction of more hospitals in the long term.In the meantime, NHS Trusts should continue to engage with their Integrated Care System to help consider whether there is scope to prioritise schemes within local investment plans.

Protective Clothing: China

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May to Question 184825on Protective Clothing: China, how many items of personal protective equipment held in China were (a) donated, (b) recycled and (c) sold between January 2020 and September 2022.

Will Quince: Between January 2020 and September 2022, the total number of personal protective equipment (PPE) items held in China that were donated was approximately 57.15 million. No PPE items held in China were recycled or sold.The majority of stock held in China were in categories of PPE for which the Department has sufficient stock in the UK to meet remaining demand and the items were therefore surplus to requirements.

Health Services and Social Services: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to para 122 of the report entitled Expert Panel: evaluation of Government’s commitments in the area of the health and social care workforce: Government Response, published 21 April 2023, if he will publish the methodology and analysis used for regression modelling.

Will Quince: The Government aims to publish the report, including the methodology and analysis used for regression modelling, in a peer reviewed journal. However, the process of peer reviewing often results in changes to the methodology.The elective recovery of acute National Health Service trusts in England were examined between January 2021 and January 2022 to understand what the drivers of elective recovery are and explore how COVID-19 pressures, other emergency demands, staffing levels and other hospital and patient factors affect providers’ ability to recover back to pre-pandemic levels.

NHS: Buildings

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the British Medical Association's 2022 report entitled Building the future - Brick by brick: The case for urgent investment in safe, modern, and sustainable healthcare estates.

Will Quince: At the Spending Review 2021, we backed the National Health Service with record levels of funding, allocating £24 billion between 2022/23 to 2024/25 to upgrade and modernise NHS buildings. This will ensure staff have the necessary facilities to provide world-class care.

Drugs: Licensing

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how priority conditions are determined when the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency considers applications for licensing of new medicines.

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which conditions are considered a priority by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency when assessing applications for new licences for medicines.

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency plans next to review the list of priority conditions which determine the speed with which applications for licenses for new medicines are considered.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency prioritises certain health conditions in assessing the potential merits of granting licences for medicines.

Will Quince: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) does not have a specific list of conditions to which it gives priority when reviewing applications for new medicine licenses. However, it does prioritise applications where there is a public health need, for instance a new medicine which offers a treatment which is not yet available or a generic medicine where there might otherwise be a risk to supply. When deciding whether to prioritise a medicine, the MHRA collaborates with the Department and National Health Service to make sure its decisions align with their priorities.

Finerenone

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of patients that have been given finerenone since it was introduced to the NHS.

Will Quince: According to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), between August 2022 and March 2023, a total of seventeen patients in England were prescribed and given finerenone. August 2022 being the earliest month recorded in the NHSBSA’s data for prescribing this product, and March 2023 is the most recent month they have data for.

Health Services: Protective Clothing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Health and Safety Executive has (a) issued guidance and (b) provided other advice to his Department on the use of face coverings for workers in health care settings.

Will Quince: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has not issued any specific advice or guidance to the Department on the use of face coverings for workers in health care settings. This would routinely be done through NHS England or UK Health Security Agency and implemented through the NHS England’s National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM). The NIPCM, published by NHS England in April 2022, is used by health care providers in all healthcare settings in England.

Drugs: Licensing

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, by what date he expects the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to be able to process all D150 submissions within the 150 day timescale.

Will Quince: The statutory timelines for processing national applications is 210 days. However, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is working towards progressing priority applications and good quality submissions within 150 days. To achieve this, the MHRA is proactively engaging with the relevant Trade Associations on how best to improve the quality of marketing authorisation applications, including workshops to support companies. With the measures put in place, the MHRA anticipates that all priority and good quality dossiers that are compliant with legislative data requirements received from 1 January 2024 will be progressed within 150 days. Applications that do not meet these requirements will be progressed within the statutory 210 days.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Question 182258, tabled by the hon. Member for Shipley on 24 April 2023.

Will Quince: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 June 2023 to Question 182258.

Health Services: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Local Government Association and (b) Council leaders on Unite the Union's pay dispute for health and social care workers.

Will Quince: No such discussions have been held.

Nurses: Conditions of Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many nurses (a) are only employed on permanent contracts, (b) work both on a permanent contract and bank shifts and (c) only work bank shifts, as of 13 June 2023.

Will Quince: The information requested is not held centrally.

Diets: Health Education

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of introducing stronger regulations for businesses that promote very low-calorie diets.

Neil O'Brien: The Department has no plans to assess the potential merits of introducing stronger regulations for businesses that promote very low-calorie diets. The UK governments dietary recommendations on how to achieve a healthy, balanced diet are set out through the Eatwell Guide, this shows that foods high in fat, salt or sugar should be eaten less often and in small amounts. The Government continues to actively promote how to maintain a healthy diet through a range of platforms, including the NHS.UK website, social media and campaigns such as Better Health.

Disability: Health Services

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the Accessible Information Standard across healthcare services.

Neil O'Brien: NHS England are currently reviewing the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), to help ensure that everyone’s communication needs are met in health and care provision. The review will consider the effectiveness of the current AIS, how the standard is implemented and enforced in practice, and identify recommendations for improvement.Phase One of the review which involved engagement and consultation with stakeholders including patients and the voluntary sector is now complete. Phase Two to revise the standard itself is ongoing. Publication of the revised AIS is expected in summer 2023.

Drinking Water: Pupils

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for (a) Education and (b) Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential merits of the provision of water bottles to school children for use in and out of school.

Neil O'Brien: The Secretary of State regularly meets with other Cabinet colleagues to discuss a variety of topics pertaining to health and social care. The School Food Standards state that drinking water must be provided free of charge at all times to registered pupils on the school premises. It is the responsibility of the headteacher and the governing board to decide when water should be made available as part of the day to day running of the school.Where a parent is concerned about access to drinking water at their school, they should in the first instance contact the school to resolve the issue. If they are not happy with the result of this conversation, they can make a complaint through the school’s own complaints procedure.As part of the 25 Year Environment Plan the Government has set an ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. Many schools have responded to this by encouraging their pupils to use reusable bottles for their water, instead of single use plastics.

Exercise

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support people to increase the amount of exercise they take over the summer.

Neil O'Brien: The Department is working with other Government Departments to support people to increase levels of physical activity. The Department’s Better Health social marketing campaign, including Couch to 5k, Active 10 and the Better Health Families website supports adults and children and their families with the tools to reap the physical and mental health benefits of being physically active. The Department is also currently running Better Health: Rewards in Wolverhampton, a digital health incentives pilot that supports users to improve their step count and minutes of weekly physical activity.

Fluoride: Drinking Water

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publicise the scope and timing of the proposed consultation on proposals to expand water fluoridation in the North East; what steps he plans to take to encourage participation in that consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: The Government has stated its intention to expand water fluoridation across the North-East of England. Public consultation is proposed to start in 2023. Following the consultation, we will provide an update on the proposals for water fluoridation. The Government sought views on the future consultation process in 2022 with the outcome published and available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/water-fluoridation-seeking-views-on-future-consultation-process/outcome/water-fluoridation-seeking-views-on-future-consultation-process-government-response-to-consultation-outcome

Medical Treatments: Equality

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department is taking to reduce health inequalities for people with (a) rare, (b) genetic and (c) undiagnosed conditions in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

Helen Whately: It is the responsibility of integrated care systems (ICSs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population.England’s 2023 Rare Diseases Action Plan includes a specific action to address health inequalities. This action is to gather the evidence needed to include rare diseases in NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 Framework. This will enable integrated care systems, including the North Central London Integrated Care Board, to develop targeted actions to reduce these inequalities in their local populations. Additionally, the UK Rare Diseases Framework commits the four nations to ensure any impacts on health inequalities are considered when developing action plans for rare conditions.Genomics England will lead a programme to carry out tailored genomic sequencing of 15,000 to 25,000 research participants from diverse ancestry groups that are currently under-represented in genomic research. This will increase our understanding of genomic diversity and its impact on scientific, clinical and health system outcomes, aiming to reduce health inequalities, and improve patient outcomes across all communities.

Out-patients

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the target in NHS England's publication entitled Implementing patient initiated follow-up: Guidance for local health and care systems, published on 17 May 2022, that outpatient follow ups should be reduced by a minimum of 25 per cent against 2019-20 activity levels by March 2023, what steps he is taking to ensure that an adequate level of care is provided to (a) patients with chronic illnesses and (b) other patients who receive reduced levels of outpatient follow ups.

Helen Whately: The decision to follow-up with a patient will always be driven by clinical need and appropriateness. NHS England has produced guidance to support systems and providers to take a risk-based approach to reducing follow-ups, including the Clinically-led Specialty Outpatient Guidance, published in April 2023, which provides practical, condition-specific advice for services to focus on which are safe and clinically appropriate for specialities with the highest number of long waits.NHS England’s guidance for Patient initiated follow-up (PIFU) is clear that people with long term conditions who are placed on a PIFU should still have a periodic review in line with clinical guidance for the specialty.

Diabetes: Hornsey and Wood Green

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on ensuring those with (a) Type 1 and (b) Type 2 diabetes receive the health checks they need to manage their condition; and what recent steps has he taken to ensure vulnerable people receive the treatment they need in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

Helen Whately: The NHS England Long Term Plan set out a number of key ambitions, to improve care and outcomes for those individuals with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Progress continues to be made for patients with Type 1 diabetes, with over 65% of people currently using Flash Glucose Monitoring to help manage their condition. 97% of pregnant women are being offered Flash Glucose Monitoring and 78% accept the offer.The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme supports those identified at high risk of Type 2 diabetes to reduce their risk. Latest figures in February 2023 shows a 20% reduction in risk for those who are referred to the programme compared to those who are not. Integrated care boards are responsible for the provision of treatment at a local level and they decide what is best for the whole of their local population.

Radiology

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) NHS England on increasing funding for the clinical (i) radiology and (ii) oncology workforces.

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on reviewing funding for specialty training posts and incentivising NHS trusts to take on new trainees.

Helen Whately: The Secretary of State meets regularly with other Cabinet colleagues and NHS England on a variety of matters pertaining to health and social care.

Breast Cancer: Drugs

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2023 to Question 185884 on Cancer: Drugs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of current levels of capacity for services delivering systemic anti-cancer therapies in breast cancer on patient outcomes.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2023 to Question 185884 on Cancer: Drugs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of levels of demand for services delivering systemic anti-cancer therapies in breast cancer on health equality.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2023 to Question 185884 on Cancer: Drugs, if he will publish information on levels of delivery capacity for breast cancer systemic anti-cancer therapies services.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made. At present, the Department has no plans to publish levels of breast cancer SACT delivery capacity as this data is not held centrally.

Radiotherapy

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 30 May 2023 to Questions 186514 on Radiotherapy: Medical Treatments and 186513 on Radiotherapy: Reform, what the timeline is for completion of the Brachytherapy and Molecular Radiotherapy Service Specification review; and whether he plans to implement the review's findings.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 30 May 2023 to Questions 186514 on Radiotherapy: Medical Treatments and 186513 on Radiotherapy: Reform, whether NHS England has set a target timeframe to increase capacity to deliver molecular radiotherapy services once a new treatment is approved through the NICE technology appraisal process or NHS England’s clinical commissioning development process.

Helen Whately: The review of the Brachytherapy and Molecular Radiotherapy Service Specification is being carried out in accordance with the NHS England Methods process for Service Specifications and is expected to be completed in 2023/24.NHS England is undertaking an assessment of readiness to implement any new molecular radiotherapy treatments, should they be approved by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE).Where treatments are approved by NICE through the Technology Appraisals programme, the National Health Service is required to make them available within agreed timescales, which vary by technology. Implementation of any NICE approvals will be supported by the service readiness assessment and the development of additional capacity where necessary.Where a treatment is approved through NHS England’s clinical commissioning policy process, a commissioning plan is developed which sets out the implementation arrangements, including the development of new or expanded service provision where necessary and the implementation timescales.

NHS: Disciplinary Proceedings

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard 2022 data analysis report for NHS trusts, published 22 February 2023, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of that reports findings on racial disparities in the numbers of people entering the formal disciplinary process.

Will Quince: The NHS Workforce Race Equality Standards report for 2022 showed that ethnic minority staff were 1.14 times more likely to enter the formal disciplinary process compared to white staff. This has significantly improved from 2016 when the likelihood ratio was 1.56.Although this is moving in the right direction, we cannot be complacent and taking action to continue to reduce this gap will remain a priority through local action plans on the Workforce Race Equality Standard and through the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion improvement plan for the NHS which requires NHS organisations to review disciplinary and employee relations processes and to ensure that all staff who enter into formal processes are treated with compassion, equity and fairness, irrespective of any protected characteristics.

Kidney Diseases

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of increases in the prevalence of comorbidities in people with chronic kidney disease; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made.

Kidney Diseases

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including chronic kidney disease in the Primary Care Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Diagnosis; and if he will make a statement on chronic kidney disease prevention.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made of the potential merits of including chronic kidney disease in the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Diagnosis service specification. In recognition of the current workload pressures in general practice, no additional requirements were added to the Primary Care Networks (PCNs) service specifications in 2023/24. NHS England will instead publish guidance which will suggest best practice to PCNs.

Kidney Diseases

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the work of the London Kidney Network on outcomes for patients with chronic kidney disease in London.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Public Service Broadcasting: Equality

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to improve regional diversity in public service broadcasting.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government recognises the role that both regional and local broadcasting can play in delivering types of public service content highly valued by local communities.On a local level, the BBC, local TV providers and commercial and community radio stations all play a crucial role in disseminating accurate news and local information, strengthening pride of place, reflecting the unique interests of the audiences that they serve, connecting communities, and helping to address social issues like loneliness and mental health.These local services are supplemented by further services delivered at a regional level by broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, STV, and commercial radio providers. Regional services continue to be highly valued by audiences, particularly in relation to their news and current affairs programming, though the Government recognises that they are unable to offer the same type and range of targeted content as genuinely local services.Public service broadcasters (PSBs) are obliged to deliver against quotas to ensure that public service content meets the needs of a diverse range of viewers - this includes regional production quotas, requiring PSBs to produce a proportion of programmes outside the M25.Ofcom is required to undertake regular analysis of key trends in the media sector, particularly how audiences are served across, and in different parts of, the UK. That data is used by Ofcom to inform their ongoing regulation of public service media providers, and also informs DCMS’s policy around the ongoing provision of local and regional media.Reforms announced in the Government’s draft Media Bill will ensure that PSB obligations are delivered via on-demand services for the first time, and will seek to deliver regional prominence for certain designated online services, maximising the social benefits of PSB content to all audiences.

Public Service Broadcasting: Digital Broadcasting

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to seek public feedback on the adequacy of public service broadcasting platforms for accessing digital content.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government recognises the importance of television being accessible to all. Under the Communications Act 2003 and Broadcasting Acts of 1990 and 1996, broadcasters, including public service broadcasters, are already required to meet targets for access services which includes subtitling, audio description and sign language for their linear TV services. Statutory targets are set by Ofcom which include five and ten year targets for licensed television services. Ofcom’s Code on Television Access Services sets out these obligations and provides guidance and best practice on access services for broadcasters. Ofcom assesses broadcasters to ensure they provide appropriate provision and Ofcom carries out access research on how services meet the needs of consumers. If a member of the public has specific concerns over a service, they can make a complaint to Ofcom.More than three quarters of households now use video-on-demand services, but the provision of subtitles, signing and audio description on these services has lagged behind broadcast TV. Following public consultation, through the Media Bill the Government is putting in place access service requirements to ensure that mainstream Video on Demand (VoD) services, including those of public service broadcasters, are accessible to people with disabilities. Aligning with existing broadcasting requirements, this will mean that 80% of a services’ total catalogue of hours must be subtitled, 10% of content audio-described, and 5% of content signed.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Access to Work Programme

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Sir John Whittingdale: Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant which contributes to the disability-related extra costs of working faced by disabled people and those with a health condition in the workplace that are beyond standard reasonable adjustments. It does not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments.In 2006, DWP took over responsibility for providing adjustments that would previously have been funded through Access to Work, for civil servants working in their department. In April 2022, all government departments followed suit and assumed responsibility for providing such adjustments for their staff.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that people are able to access digital radio content.

Sir John Whittingdale: Radio plays an important role in communities across the UK. It helps connect listeners with their community, and provide an important source of information, entertainment and support. This was recognised by the joint government and industry Digital Radio and Audio Review, which highlighted evidence from WaveLength.The BBC and commercial radio are responsible for the operation of their respective radio networks, including the DAB radio networks. This includes delivering coverage to areas and the provision of radio services to listeners. Nevertheless, the Government recognises the importance of listeners being able to access their favourite radio stations on digital, which is why we have worked with the radio industry to help improve digital radio coverage for listeners across the UK.Between 2015 and 2018, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) provided capital funding to support the BBC and commercial radio’s expansion of the UK’s local DAB radio network. This delivered improvements across the network and 172 new digital radio transmitters at sites across the UK.DCMS has also supported the development of small-scale DAB, which provides a flexible and inexpensive approach to the terrestrial broadcast of digital radio services to a relatively small geographic area.This initiative will provide local commercial and community radio stations with a viable opportunity to broadcast on digital, and reach under-served areas.

Public Service Broadcasting

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure Public Service Broadcasters meet public service broadcasting obligations on reaching audiences.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government recognises how important it is that content delivered by public service broadcasters (PSBs) remains freely and universally available to a range of audiences across the UK.Ofcom is ultimately responsible for monitoring the performance of PSBs against their public service broadcasting obligations, including their obligations on reaching audiences. With specific regards to the BBC, while they are editorially and operationally independent, the Charter requires the BBC to serve all audiences, and the Government expects Ofcom to robustly hold them to account in delivering their public service obligations.Reforms announced in the Government’s draft Media Bill will ensure that PSB obligations are delivered via on-demand services for the first time. This includes a new ‘online prominence framework’, which will ensure that public service broadcasting content is made available and given protected prominence across major online TV platforms, helping to ensure that PSB content continues to reach all audiences as viewers increasingly shift online.

Charities: Finance

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to help increase funding for (a) charities and (b) other good causes.

Stuart Andrew: The Government is committed to supporting the charitable sector.As announced in the Spring Budget, the government will provide over £100 million of support for charities and community organisations. This will be targeted towards those organisations most at risk from cost of living pressures, due to increased demand and higher delivery costs, as well as providing investment in energy efficiency.This comes on top of existing commitments. Over this Spending Review Period, more than £500 million will be invested in delivering the National Youth Guarantee, a government commitment that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer.Furthermore, in March, the government announced a new allocation of £76 million from the Dormant Assets Scheme to help tackle the impacts of rising costs of living on vulnerable households and the civil society sector in England.

Rugby: Finance

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the financial stability of Premiership rugby clubs.

Stuart Andrew: The Government recognises the recent challenges faced by Rugby Union. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government went above and beyond through the Sports Survival Package to provide unprecedented levels of financial support to sports clubs, including rugby union clubs, to ensure their survival.The Government is clear that robust governance is essential to sustainable and successful sport. The respective National Governing Body is responsible for the governance of their sport. In the case of Rugby Union, the Government is working closely with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Premiership Rugby League (PRL).The Government shares the concerns of fans about where the game goes next, so has appointed two expert independent advisers to work with the RFU and PRL on their plans to secure the future of professional rugby union. They will report their recommendations to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport later in the summer.

Lotteries

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has received recent representations on (a) raising and (b) removing the (i) £50 million limit on ticket sales and (b) £5 million per draw sales limit for society lotteries.

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of changes to lottery sales and prize limits on donations to (a) charities and (b) other good causes in the period since March 2022.

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will ask society lotteries how much additional funding been generated since the (a) limit on ticket sales for society lotteries was raised to £50 million and (b) per draw sales limit for society lotteries was raised to £5 million in each year since July 2020.

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an estimate of the amount of funding generated by society lotteries for charities and causes in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022 in (i) total, (ii) England; (iii) Scotland and (iv) Wales.

Stuart Andrew: The Government recognises the importance of society lotteries as a fundraising tool for charities and other organisations. Society lotteries are a vital source of funds for these organisations, raising around £400 million a year.In 2020, we legislated to raise the annual sales limit for large society lotteries from £10 million to £50 million. Each organisation with a society lottery licence is therefore able to sell up to £50 million of tickets per year. Most society lottery operators have sales well within this annual limit, meaning there is plenty of scope for them to continue to grow.I have received representations about society lottery limits from a range of stakeholders, including society lottery operators, charities and National Lottery stakeholders.We continue to keep society lottery sales and prize limits under review with the Gambling Commission.

Lotteries: Charities

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an estimate of the amount of funding generated by society lotteries for charities and causes in each parliamentary constituency in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.

Stuart Andrew: Society lotteries are an important fundraising tool for many charities and other good causes throughout the country. They are regulated as a gambling product, and require a licence from the Gambling Commission in order to operate. The Gambling Commission does not collect data on the location of beneficiaries of grant funding, so it is not possible to estimate the amount of funding generated in each parliamentary constituency.

Sports and Youth Organisations: Uniforms

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department provides financial assistance to (a) uniformed youth organisations and (b) youth sports teams to enable them to provide (i) uniforms and (ii) sports kits at a reduced or no cost to children from families on low incomes.

Stuart Andrew: The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people.We have guaranteed that by 2025, every young person in England will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and volunteering opportunities. This is supported by over £500 million of investment in youth services.As part of the National Youth Guarantee, in October 2022 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport awarded an initial £1.5 million to kickstart the Uniformed Youth Fund, targeting less advantaged areas of the country, with a further £16.9 million of funding launched in November to tackle existing teenager waiting lists. To date, over 2,000 new places have been created for young people in uniformed youth groups across England.We recognise that not being able to access essential kit can act as a barrier to those wishing to participate in sport. Sport England has a number of funds that can provide support in this instance, including the £20 million Together Fund which was set up to reduce the negative impact of coronavirus and help community groups working with priority groups. Part of this funding was put towards providing kit to children who were not able to access the essentials required to participate.

Culture: Children and Young People

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what data his Department holds on access to arts and culture for children and young people with a disability.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people have access to arts and culture across the UK, regardless of their background or circumstances.The Taking Part Survey was the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s key evidence source for the level of engagement with the arts, heritage, museums and libraries. In 2019/20 this survey identified that 91.3% of children (aged 5–15) with a long-standing illness or disability had engaged with the arts in the 12 months preceding their response to the survey. The publication can be found here.In 2021, the Taking Part Survey was replaced by DCMS’s Participation Survey. This captures participation data for people aged 16 and over in England, and also asks respondents if they have a long-standing illness or disability. The most recent annual publication can be found here.The Department is working closely with the Government-appointed Arts & Culture Disability & Access Ambassador, David Stanley BEM, to improve accessibility to the sector for people with disabilities, including children and young people.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Housing Associations

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he plans to take to help housing associations fulfil their new responsibilities under the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill, in the context of increases in the cost of living and inflation.

Dehenna Davison: Registered providers of social housing already have a duty to comply with the Regulator of Social Housing's standards. The Regulator will consult on its revised consumer standards following the passage of legislation and the issuance of government directions, and is already conducting extensive engagement with the sector to prepare providers for the new regulatory regime.More widely, all social landlords should be delivering decent social housing, and prioritising repairs and improvements that need to be made to ensure housing is up to standard.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Disability

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the National Disability Strategy published on 28 July 2021, which of his Department’s commitments in that strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.

Dehenna Davison: Please find below a table which sets out which of my department’s commitments in the National Disability Strategy published on 28 July 2021 have been fully and partially implemented. The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) had no commitments in the Strategy paused as a result of legal action, and no commitments that have not been implemented. DLUHC commitments in the National Disability Strategy (2021)Status of commitment DLUHC [formerly MHCLG] will confirm plans to improve the framework to deliver accessible new homes by December 2021.Fully implementedDLUHC [formerly MHCLG] is commissioning new research to develop the statutory guidance on meeting Building Regulations, covering access to and use of buildings (Approved Document M).Fully implementedDLUHC [formerly MHCLG] has commissioned new research to develop robust evidence: - to inform building regulation guidance on the fire safety in new care homes and specialised housing. This will conclude by autumn 2021. - to inform policy in England on the means of escape for disabled people from new buildings. This will conclude by autumn 2021.Partially implementedDLUHC [formerly MHCLG] has committed that 10% of the 180,000 homes built through the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26 will be for supported housing.Partially implementedDLUHC [formerly MHCLG] will make the new Shared Ownership model, including the reduced (10%) minimum initial stake, available to disabled people buying a home under the HOLD scheme.Fully implementedFollowing an independent review of the Disabled Facilities Grant published in December 2018, DLUHC [formerly MHCLG] and DHSC will jointly publish new government guidance for local authorities in England on effective delivery of the £573 million Disabled Facilities Grant during 2021.Fully implementedDLUHC [formerly MHCLG] will consider how we can support projects that increase high street accessibility for disabled people in the design of any future local growth funding.Fully implementedDLUHC [formerly MHCLG] will make £30 million available from summer 2021 to accelerate delivery of Changing Places toilets in existing buildings in England.Fully implementedDLUHC [formerly MHCLG] will publish a new National Model Design Code in the summer (2021), setting out design considerations for local planning authorities. The department will use guidance supporting the Code to stress the importance of providing accessible and inclusive play spaces and equipment for all.Fully implementedBuilding on the experience of the Access to Elected Office fund and the EnAble fund, DLUHC [formerly MHCLG] will support a new scheme from April 2022 to support those seeking to become candidates and - as importantly - once they have been elected to public office.Fully implementedThe Cabinet Office (now DHLUC for Elections) has introduced the Elections Act which will improve the support provided to voters with disabilities who are voting in polling stations. Returning Officers will have a new responsibility to consider additional support for a range of disabled voters in the polling station. This includes meeting voters’ needs in a more tailored way, and providing equipment and resources that most support voters in their local area. The Act will also remove unnecessary barriers to voting including by widening the pool of people able to provide help to disabled people in casting their vote to any companion who is over the age of 18 in UK Parliamentary elections. The Elections Division also convenes the Access to Elections Working Group which meets with representatives of civil society organisations and charities and the elections sector across the UK to discuss and plan to improve accessibility for all disabled electors.Fully implemented

World Heritage Sites

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to support sites on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites tentative list.

Rachel Maclean: We are working closely with DCMS to ensure that sites on the UK Tentative List of World Heritage receive all the support they require, including on DLUHC responsibilities such as planning.

Social Rented Housing: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive on trends in the level of demand for social housing.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has had discussions with the devolved administrations on trends in the level of demand for social housing across the UK.

Dehenna Davison: The Department engages regularly with counterparts in devolved administrations on a range of issues, including housing.

Social Rented Housing: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had discussions with local authorities in Newcastle on delays to repair work on social housing.

Dehenna Davison: Last November the Secretary of State wrote to all providers of social housing, including those in Newcastle, following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak. His letter set out his expectation that all landlords treat complaints about damp and mould seriously, act swiftly to rectify them, and be prepared to respond to a request from the Regulator of Social Housing on the extent of damp and mould issues. The Secretary of State also wrote to all local authorities setting out that non-decent homes are completely unacceptable, and that landlords must take action to resolve poor housing conditions in their area.To ensure that landlords respond quickly when homes are dangerous, the Government has also introduced 'Awaab's Law' as an amendment to the Social Housing Regulation Bill, which will require landlords to fix reported health hazards within specified timeframes.

Supported Housing

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps he has taken to help people living in supported housing; and whether his Department monitors how councils commission housing providers.

Felicity Buchan: The Government is committed to ensuring all supported housing residents receive good quality support and accommodation. We are supporting the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill which will introduce national standards for supported housing and local authority led licensing schemes.We are also investing £20 million in the Supported Housing Improvement Programme to drive up quality in the supported housing sector in some of the worst affected areas, while we develop regulatory measures.The Department does not routinely monitor how councils commission housing providers.

Disclosure of Information: Finance

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Mandating Data Transparency Grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Council Tax Discount Grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Business Rates Relief for Mitigation of Lost of SBRR Grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Rural Services Delivery Grant.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 188581 on 14 June 2023.

Local Government: Pay Settlements

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Local Government Association and (b) council leaders on Unite the Union's pay dispute in respect of the pay offer for local government employees.

Lee Rowley: Detailed employment matters such as pay are for local authorities, as independent employers, to determine through the usual processes. It is the responsibility of employers to make an assessment of what is affordable within the overall available resources. Ministers do not have a formal role in such matters.   Employers do of course have to pay the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage. We recognise that pay and wages are one of a number of inflationary pressures facing local government. The government made significant additional resources available for local government at the autumn statement. The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2023/24 made available substantial additional funding for local government in England. This boost in funding demonstrates how Government stands behind councils up and down the country.   As negotiations continue, the department continues to monitor the issue through regular engagement with the Local Government Association and routine engagement with councils.

Home Office

Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report by the UK Commission on Bereavement entitled Bereavement is everyone's business, published in October 2022, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) reviewing death registration processes and (b) extending the remit of the Tell Us Once service to include the private sector.

Robert Jenrick: For Civil Registration in England & Wales, remote registration assisted both the bereaved and the registration service during the Covid pandemic with positive feedback received. To continue this, a change to primary legislation is required and the Data Protection and Digital Information (no2) Bill before Parliament seeks to enable this.There are currently no plans to extend the Tell Us Once Service to the prive sector.

Safer Streets Fund

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to open another round of funding for the Safer Streets Fund.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of opening another round of funding for the Safer Streets Fund.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding has been provided to Enfield Council from the Safer Streets Fund.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department received any applications for the Safer Streets Fund from Enfield Council.

Chris Philp: The Safer Streets Fund is intended to cut crime and the harm it causes. Everyone in this country should have the security and confidence that comes from a safe street and a safe home. Since the Fund launched in 2020, we have invested £120 million through four rounds supporting 270 projects across England and Wales.Decisions on the geographical coverage of London funding bids submitted to the Safer Streets Fund is a matter for the Mayor of London. To date, £3.2 million has been awarded through all rounds of the Safer Streets Fund to local projects across London. This includes just over £1.5 million in funding through the current fourth round for projects targeting neighbourhood crime, violence against women and girls and anti-social behaviour.We remain committed to protecting communities and keeping our streets safe. We will look to provide further information about potential future rounds of the Safer Streets Fund in due course.

Driving Offences: Fixed Penalties

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make a comparative assessment of the amount paid in penalty charges for speeding in (a) the last year for which data are available and (b) the year preceding 1 March 2020.

Chris Philp: Data on the amount paid in penalty charges for speeding is not held by the Home Office.The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices (FPNs) and other outcomes for motoring offences in England and Wales on an annual basis. The most recent data, up to 2021, is available here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1118166/fixed-penalty-notices-and-other-motoring-offences-statistics-police-powers-and-procedures-year-ending-31-december-2021.odsIn 2021, there were 2,378,373 speed limit offences recorded on the central PentiP system in England and Wales (excludes British Transport Police).In 2020, there were 2,006,382 speed limit offences recorded on the central PentiP system in England and Wales (excludes British Transport Police).In 2019, there were 2,253,948 speed limit offences recorded on the central PentiP system in England and Wales (excludes British Transport Police).However these figures may be an underestimation since Durham, North Wales, South Wales, Gwent, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire forces do not record all outcomes on the PentiP system.Data for 2022 will be published in November/December of 2023, and is pre-announced on gov.uk here: Police powers and procedures: Other PACE powers, England and Wales, year ending March 2023 - National statistics announcement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Emergency Calls: Mental Health

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she made of the potential (a) risks to and (b) impact on outcomes for people with mental health challenges of implementing the right care, right person model.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the Right Care, Right Person operational model on community safety partnerships overseen by local authorities.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy that community safety partnerships should make an assessment of the impact of Right Care, Right Person operational model in their communities.

Chris Philp: The Right Care Right Person (RCRP) approach sets out a threshold to assist police decision making on responding to incidents based on a duty of care. The benefits of this are that the police should only be responding to health & social care incidents where there is a clear and immediate risk of serious harm or criminality or where they are needed to exercise their powers under the Mental Health Act. This ensures the public receive the right care from the right person and reduces unnecessary police involvement.The Right Care Right Person operational model is a locally led approach with decisions on how and when to implement it to be made at a local level, between operationally independent police forces and health care partners. These will be based on different local area needs and requirements. This approach does not change the police response to situations where a crime has occurred or where there is a risk of serious harm to the individual or the wider public.This is a model that is based on partnership working, with local police chiefs and health and social care partners working together to understand where the police are filling gaps for other agencies and the route to address this. It will be important for partners to continue to work together, to safely implement the approach.It will be for local chiefs to decide which aspects of RCRP that their force will adopt, working with partners, and they will need to ensure that they properly consider equality impacts and risks as part of that process.As required by the Equality Act 2010, the Home Office is considering its Public Sector Equality Duties, as part of our work with health and policing partners to create a new national partnership agreement, which will signal national support for the RCRP principles.The recent HMICFRS State of Policing Report viewed the implementation of RCRP as a positive step in the report and strongly supported this approach which further builds on the findings made in Humberside’s PEEL inspection report last year.

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what has been the cost to public purse of services provided by the We Are Digital company for the Windrush compensation scheme as of 15 June 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office does not publish this information as it is deemed to be commercially confidential. Publishing this information would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of both the Home Office and those companies with whom the Home Office enters contracts.

Windrush Compensation Scheme: Applications

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants for compensation under the Windrush compensation scheme have died while waiting for a decision on their application.

Robert Jenrick: The Windrush Compensation Scheme staff are working hard to ensure cases are prioritised for claimants with critical or life-limiting illnesses.In the unfortunate circumstances where a claimant has passed away after submitting a compensation claim, before the claim is fully resolved, the team continues to work closely with the appointed representative, usually members of the family, to ensure the compensation payment is made as quickly as possible to the family member.At the end of April 2023, in line with the latest published Transparency data, out of the 6,122 claims received by the Windrush Compensation Scheme, we are aware of 41 claimants who have unfortunately passed away after having submitted a claim.Please note that this data is manually recorded and is reliant on the person receiving the information on a claimant’s death, notifying the Windrush Compensation Scheme to record this information.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department's policy started to require Hon. and Rt Hon. Members to provide a Letter of Authority when raising cases relating to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme through the MPAM phoneline.

Robert Jenrick: Where it is not immediately apparent that an MP’s Office has received the requisite authority from their constituent for their information to be shared, a Letter of Authority will be requested. This has been the Home Office policy for at least the past five years.

Windrush Compensation Scheme: Appeals

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unsuccessful claims for compensation under the Windrush compensation scheme have been subject to appeal up to 1 June 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The Windrush Compensation Scheme has established a review process for those dissatisfied with their compensation offer. First, a review can be conducted through an internal Home Office review by a senior decision maker not involved with the original decision (Tier 1). If someone is still dissatisfied, an independent review is conducted by the Adjudicator’s Office (Tier 2).Information relating to the number of Windrush Compensation Scheme claims that applied for a Tier 1 or Tier 2 review is included in Windrush Compensation Scheme Transparency Data.The latest Transparency data for the Compensation Scheme was published on 1 June 2023, which covers the period up to the end of April 2023. Data covering the period of May 2023 up to 1 June 2023 has not yet been published.The requested information can be found on Tab WCS_09 Windrush Compensation Scheme data: April 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the number of people who are eligible for compensation under the Windrush compensation scheme.

Robert Jenrick: A revised assessment has been completed using operational data up to the 1st of April 2023, updated assumptions and the same methodology as previous assessments. This assessment will be announced in an upcoming impact assessment, which is currently being finalised.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department's policy started to require Hon. and Rt Hon. Members to provide a Letter of Authority when raising cases relating to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme via email.

Robert Jenrick: Where it is not immediately apparent that an MP’s Office has received the requisite authority from their constituent for their information to be shared, a Letter of Authority will be requested. This has been the Home Office policy for at least the past five years.

British Nationality: Applications

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many citizenship applications that were not considered straightforward were completed within six months of the application being made in the last calendar year.

Robert Jenrick: We do not record data on non-straightforward applications which are completed within the six-month service standard.Immigration statistics are published at Migration statistics, and the link to the latest Migration transparency data can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visas-and-citizenship-data-q1-2023.

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many claims for compensation under the Windrush compensation scheme have been awarded as of 15 June 2023.

Robert Jenrick: Information relating to the number of claims that have been paid compensation through the Windrush Compensation Scheme is included in Windrush Compensation Scheme Transparency Data, together with the Windrush Schemes Fact Sheet, both of which are published regularly.The latest Transparency data for the Compensation Scheme was published on 1 June 2023, which covers the period up to the end of April 2023. Data covering the period of May 2023 up to 15 June 2023 has not been published yet.The requested information can be found on Tab WCS_03 Windrush Compensation Scheme data: April 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)The latest Windrush Schemes factsheet is available here: Windrush Schemes Factsheet – April 2023 - Home Office in the media (blog.gov.uk)

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of cases where her Department breached General Data Protection Regulation by accepting Homes for Ukraine Scheme enquiries from Hon. and Rt Hon. Members without first obtaining a Letter of Authority.

Robert Jenrick: This information is not held by the Home Office.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Mairie de Fort-Mahon-Plage Boat Park Security Grant.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office do not comment on operational matters.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will set timescales for (a) the processing of applications and (b) making travel arrangements for Afghans who are entitled to resettle in the UK and are housed in hotels in Pakistan.

Robert Jenrick: The resettlement of eligible Afghans remains a top priority for this government. As of the end of March 2023, around 24,600 vulnerable people have been brought to the UK. This figure includes British nationals evacuated under Operation Pitting.It is vital that those arriving have somewhere suitable to stay once they are in the UK. We continue to process applications but will only facilitate arrivals from third countries under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) where suitable accommodation can be secured ahead of arrival, including where individuals are able to find their own accommodation.

Asylum: Children

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of unaccompanied asylum seeking children who went missing from hotel accommodation remain unaccounted for.

Robert Jenrick: We take the safety of those in our care seriously. We have robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all young people in hotels are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority.Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses. All contingency sites have security staff on site 24/7 and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.As of 05 June, there were 154 young people missing.If any child goes missing, including an accompanied asylum seeking child, the MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol is followed. A multi-agency, missing persons meeting is chaired by the local authority to establish the young person's whereabouts and to ensure that they are safe. Similar protocols within police forces have safely reduced the number of missing episodes from placements by 36%.The Home Office continue to work with the police and local authorities to ensure the children in our care are safe. The police are responsible for locating any missing children.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry: Greater Manchester

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on how many submissions to the Truth Project set up by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse were made by residents in each of the Greater Manchester authorities.

Miss Sarah Dines: The Department does not hold this information. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has now completed its work. In line with the commitment made by the Inquiry, all information relating victims and survivors taking part in the Truth Project was securely destroyed when the Inquiry closed. Information about the Truth Project, including some statistics, are available on the following website: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/victims-and-survivors/truth-project

Asylum: Applications

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claims have been processed in each of the last 12 months for which data is available; and what proportion that figure represents of undecided asylum claims in each such month.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial decisions made on asylum applications can be found in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. The latest data relate to the year ending March 2023. Data for the year ending June 2023 will be published on 24 August 2023.Data on outcome analysis of asylum applications raised in a specific period are published in table Asy_D04 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to 2021. Data for 2022 will be published 24 August 2023.Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Asylum: Hotels

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress she has made on moving asylum seekers from unsuitable temporary hotel accommodation; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office aims to end the use of hotels and move asylum seekers to less expensive and more suitable accommodation.To support this, we are bringing into use large disused military’s sites and vessels, which will provide adequate, safe, and secure, non-detained accommodation for asylum seekers.Additionally, the funding for dispersal accommodation has changed; for existing dispersed accommodation and beds in hotels, the government will provide local authorities with a one off retrospective £750 payment for each asylum seeker in Home Office accommodation on the 1 of April 2023; up from £250 last year. Furthermore, a new pilot will be introduced to offer local authorities an additional one off payment of up to £3,000 for new dispersal beds which are brought on and occupied quickly.The Home Office are also making more efficient use of existing hotels. By asking people to share rooms, where it’s appropriate to do so, we’ve found an additional 11,500 places which will save taxpayers an extra £250 million a year.

Thomas Roberts

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 23 January 2023 on Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children, Official Report, column 871, what her expected timescale is to conclude the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the murder of Thomas Roberts in Bournemouth last year; and if her Department will take steps to publish the findings of that investigation.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office is conducting an internal investigation to examine the circumstances surrounding this case. We do not routinely publish internal reports and there are no plans to do so on this occasion.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Standards Grant.

Miss Sarah Dines: We believe this question relates to statistics from 2021 to 2022, published in March 2023. We awarded £8,000 to Respect, on behalf of the Drive Partnership, to provide expert support and advice to an independent organisation in the development of a national standards framework for perpetrator interventions. It is important to have a consistent approach to determining the quality of perpetrator interventions and our Standards set out our minimum expectations in this space. The Standards are closely aligned to the Respect Standard.

Asylum: Children

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who went missing from hotels in England have subsequently been found in Wales since 1 January 2022.

Robert Jenrick: Since 1 Janaury 2022, 283 young persons missing from UASC Hotels have been located.Two young people have been found in Wales after 1 January 2022 and that proportion would be 0.71%.These hotels exist to provide temporary accommodation whilst placement within local authority is sought. Young people are supported by team leaders, support workers and security who are all on site 24/7. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses.Any missing child case or British child in care and are treated the same way including missing UASC.

Slavery: Victims

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2023 to Question 158881 on Slavery, what estimate her Department has made of the average number of days taken by (a) Multi-Agency Assurance Panels decision-making (b) second pair of eyes review processes; and what proportion of negative Conclusive Grounds decisions were upheld under these processes for identifying victims of modern slavery.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March to Question 158881 on Slavery, what the outcome was of her consideration towards an alternative process that can provide appropriate assurance and drive further improvements to National Referral Mechanism decision making for identifying potential victims of modern slavery; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: All negative reasonable grounds and conclusive grounds decisions in the National Referral Mechanism undergo a second pair of eyes review by a second caseworker or manager as part of the decision making process. Data on the time taken and proportion of negative decisions upheld following such a review are not routinely recorded. All negative decisions that are issued have been upheld by the second pair of eyes.Prior to December 2022 Multi-Agency Assurance Panels (MAAPs) reviewed negative conclusive grounds decisions in an advisory capacity prior to the decision being issued. Following the review by MAAPs, the MAAP feedback report was returned to the Competent Authority. Data regarding the proportion of negative conclusive grounds decisions upheld under this process, and the time taken to do so, is not published.The design of the MAAP process contributed to the number of days being added to decision-making timelines and were removed due to increasing pressure on the timeliness of NRM decision-making. Consideration continues to be given to the scope and process of any possible alternative assurance process that will not contribute to decision making timescales.

Slavery: Victims

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2023 to Question 158881 on Slavery, what the average number of days taken to make a (a) full Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority decision including the Single Competent Authority component and (b) Single Competent Authority decision for non IECA cases under the National Referral Mechanism for identifying potential victims of modern slavery.

Robert Jenrick: The two competent authorities, the Single Competent Authority (SCA) and Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority (IECA), both make decisions on whether an individual is a victim of modern slavery. For conclusive grounds decisions made between January and March 2023, the average (median) number of days taken across the competent authorities was 566 days. For decisions made by just the SCA, it took an average of 654 days. For decisions made by just the IECA, it took an average of 352 days. For more information, see the quarterly published statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics).

Slavery: Victims

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the current average wait time for a decision to be made on a modern slavery case under the National Referral Mechanism.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics regarding the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). These include the average time taken to make a Conclusive Grounds Decision. The latest published NRM statistics can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1154119/modern-slavery-national-referral-mechanism-statistics-uk-quarter-1-2023-january-to-march-tables.ods

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Vodafone: Broadband

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of Vodafone broadband outages on 10 April 2023.

Sir John Whittingdale: Reliable access to telecommunications and internet services is vital for the operation of essential services and our everyday home, work, education, and social lives. All service providers are responsible for their own networks. However, there are statutory obligations they have to meet set out by Ofcom the independent regulator.The sector has proven itself extremely robust, and the UK has never suffered a major nationwide loss of telecoms or broadband services. On rare occasions where the sector does experience outages part of these statutory obligations on Vodafone and other providers is to maintain the availability of services and report significant outages to Ofcom. Therefore should thresholds for service failure have been met on this occasion, Ofcom would fully investigate the circumstances and take appropriate action.There are protections in place for consumers under Ofcom’s voluntary industry automatic compensation scheme (of which Vodafone is a signatory). Following a loss of service, if repairs are delayed by more than two working days, customers may be entitled to compensation of £9.33 for each calendar day.

Online Safety Bill: Women

Kate Kniveton: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including a Violence Against Women and Girls Code of Practice in the Online Safety Bill.

Paul Scully: The Online Safety Bill will provide vital protections for women and girls to ensure they can express themselves freely online without fear of harassment or abuse.My department has considered the merits of a Violence Against Women & Girls Code of Practice, along with the other priorities for the regulatory framework. The current approach ensures that Ofcom is able to draft codes in a way that prevents a delay to implementation, gives clarity to companies and allows platforms to address a range of interrelated risks affecting different groups of users, such as those with more than one protected characteristic. I am satisfied that this ensures a holistic, comprehensive and effective approach to tackling VAWG within the Bill.

Pornography: Internet

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential effectiveness of the Online Safety Bill in tackling online access to pornography by children.

Paul Scully: The Online Safety Bill will ensure that companies protect children from online pornography, wherever it appears online. It will cover all online sites that offer pornography, including commercial pornography sites, social media platforms, video sharing platforms, forums and search engines. These companies will have to prevent children from accessing pornography, using measures such as age verification, or Ofcom will be able to bring enforcement action against them.

Internet: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have access to the internet in Enfield North constituency in the latest period for which data is available.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what comparative assessment she has made of digital connectivity in Enfield North constituency and the rest of (a) the London Borough of Enfield, (b) London and (c) England.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate she has made of the number of people in Enfield North constituency who do not use digital services.

Sir John Whittingdale: According to the latest data from Think Broadband:In the Enfield North constituency, 92% of premises have access to a gigabit-capable connection, and 98% of premises have access to a fixed superfast (>30 Mbps) connection. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology does not hold data at a constituency level of the services purchased by households.In the London Borough of Enfield, 98% of premises have access to a superfast connection, 92% have access to a gigabit capable connection, and only 0.4% of premises have a fixed connection that is below the USO minimum (In London, 98% of premises have access to a superfast connection, 82% of premises have access to a gigabit-capable connection, and 0.32% of premises are below the USO minimum.In England, 98% of premises have access to a superfast connection, 76% of have access to a gigabit-capable connection, and 0.69% of premises are below the USO minimum.The Department does not hold data on the number of people in the Enfield North constituency who do not use digital services. However, according to data from the Lloyds Consumer Digital Index, 3% of those living in London have no foundation level digital skills.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to help provide access to digital audio content for (a) people from disadvantaged backgrounds, (b) older people and (c) other people.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is responsible for coordinating HM Government’s digital inclusion policy, and aims to ensure that as many people as possible, no matter their age or background, can overcome the barriers of digital inclusion and make the most of digital opportunities.The Government is working to remove barriers and ensure that online services, including digital audio content, is as inclusive as possible by making public sector websites accessible to as many people as possible. The accessibility regulations ensure that websites and mobile apps are designed to be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Furthermore, assisted digital support services aim to increase digital inclusion for those online users who lack digital confidence, digital skills or access to the internet.

Artificial Intelligence and Life Sciences: Research

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to her Answer of 8 June to question 187868 on Artificial Intelligence and Life Sciences: Research, what proportion of UK Research and Innovation funds does research involving (a) humans, (b) human materials, (c) animal models and (d) non-animal technologies receive; and what steps UKRI is taking to increase the proportion of funding for non-animal technologies in relation to animal models.

George Freeman: It is not possible to break down UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding data in this way. The Government actively supports and funds the development and dissemination of techniques that replace, reduce, and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs), primarily through funding from UKRI for the National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs). UKRI provide around £10 million funding per annum to the NC3Rs for research to develop 3Rs technologies.The NC3Rs has committed to increase funding for technologies that replace the use of animals, including through their £4.7 million joint funding call with UKRI’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council for next generation non-animal technologies.

Science: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to collaborate with businesses in the Scottish life sciences industry to meet the Government’s ambition of being a science superpower by 2030.

George Freeman: The Department collaborates closely with companies from across the UK, including Scottish industry, to deliver the Life Sciences Vision and ensure we deliver on our science superpower ambitions. Officials in the Office for Life Sciences meet with the Devolved Administrations monthly, and they are officially represented on the quarterly Life Sciences Delivery Board to ensure we are delivering for the entirety of the UK. Representatives from Scottish Industry also attended the recent ‘Treasury Connect’ series, where Ministers and officials met directly with industry to discuss their ambition and concerns. This directly informed the £650 million package announced on 26 May.

Artificial Intelligence

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department (a) is taking steps to (i) monitor and (ii) regulate and (b) has made a recent assessment of the implications for her policies of the development of artificial consciousness technology.

Paul Scully: The AI Regulation White Paper proposes a proportionate, collaborative approach to AI regulation, and aims to promote innovation while protecting the UK’s values. Our approach is designed to ensure the Government is able to adapt and respond to the risks and opportunities that emerge as the technology develops at pace.It is important to distinguish between AI as we define and understand it today, and concepts such as Artificial Consciousness and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). As our AI Regulation White Paper sets out, AI systems are ‘trained’ – once or continually – and operate by inferring patterns and connections in data which are not always easily discernible to humans. This includes a spectrum of AI systems that perform specific and less-specific tasks, and includes forms of generative AI that are in use and under development currently. This is not the same as AGI, and there are different views amongst experts regarding the feasibility and timescales associated with AGI becoming a reality. Whilst people have argued that AGI and Artificial Consciousness are theoretically possible, many researchers disagree.The Government is working with international partners to understand emerging technologies and AI trends, while promoting the UK’s values, including through key multilateral fora, such as the OECD, the G7, the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), the Council of Europe, and UNESCO, and through bilateral relationships.The AI Regulation White Paper proposes a range of new central functions, including a horizon scanning function intended to support the anticipation assessment of emerging risks. This will complement the existing work undertaken by regulators and other government departments to identify and address risks arising from AI.As set out in the white paper, the Government will continue to convene a wide range of stakeholders – including frontier researchers from industry – to ensure that we hear the full spectrum of viewpoints.

Innovate UK

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps Innovate UK is taking to provide opportunities to people from under-represented groups (a) within its own organisation, (b) that receive its grant funding and (c) that participate in its programmes.

George Freeman: Innovate UK is taking steps to provide opportunities for people from under-represented groups. These are in line with the UKRI Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy published on 17 March 2023 and the UKRI Workforce Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy published on 17 January 2023. Actions include introducing an updated an updated Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) data survey, which is being used to identify under-represented groups, investigate the reasons for this and take appropriate and effective steps to improve representation. In 2023, Innovate UK is also building on the legacy and success of its existing targeted programmes: Women in Innovation and Young Innovators. They are launching a new and ambitious programme called Diverse Innovators: Begin and Build.

Science: Africa

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on the potential merits of using scientific research collaborations in Africa as development aid.

George Freeman: The Department is working across HMG to develop, strengthen and amplify UK-Africa science and tech partnerships across the continent, focusing our efforts where the UK has strong existing and historical relationships; where the country is a leader in science, tech and data across the continent; and where partnerships could have broader impacts for development and diplomatic impact across the region.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Taiwan

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has had discussions with representatives of the Government of Taiwan in each of the last five years.

George Freeman: The UK has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong, unofficial relationship, based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas, underpinned by shared democratic values. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was newly created on 7 February 2023, and the Department has since had discussions with representatives of the Taiwan administration.

British Institute at Ankara: Finance

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the British Academy's future funding plans for the British Institute at Ankara, in the context of the recent Turkish general election.

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions her Department has had with the British Academy on the work of the British Institute at Ankara, in the context of the recent Turkish general election.

George Freeman: The Government provides funding to the British Academy for eight British International Research Institutes (BIRI), including the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA). The BIRIs are independent organisations, overseen by Boards of Trustees. The BIAA promotes academic collaboration between scholars based in the UK, Turkey and the wider Black Sea region, and acts as a centre of research excellence. The Government reviews funding and delivery of the British Academy and its BIRIs on an ongoing basis with regular reporting, monitoring and evaluation from the British Academy to ensure funding objectives are met.

British Institute at Ankara: Finance

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to the British Academy to support the British Institute at Ankara.

George Freeman: The Government provides funding to the British Academy for eight British International Research Institutes (BIRI), including the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA). The BIAA has not raised the need for additional funding with the British Academy. The Government reviews funding and delivery of the British Academy and its BIRIs on an ongoing basis with regular reporting, monitoring and evaluation from the British Academy to ensure funding objectives are met.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

National Grid: Infrastructure

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had recent discussions with businesses in the electricity supply chain on the construction of national grid infrastructure.

Andrew Bowie: Ensuring access to supply chains and developing domestic manufacturing capacity will be key to enabling the delivery of the Governments 2030 renewable energy ambitions and broader Net Zero target.The Government has been engaging with stakeholders across industry including transmission operators and equipment suppliers to identify key supply chain related challenges.In addition to this, the Government continues to engage with the electricity supply chain to identify and support opportunities for investment in domestic manufacturing capacity. Recent discussion with Japanese manufacturer Sumitomo Electric resulted in their decision to establish a power cable factory in Scotland.

Infrastructure: Carbon Emissions

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to increase the speed of (a) granting planning permission and (b) approving low carbon and network infrastructure projects.

Andrew Bowie: It is important to have a planning system that follows a robust legal process based on evidence, consultation with communities, and environmental impacts. The Government published an Action Plan for reforming and speeding up the Nationally Significant Infrastructure planning process in February 2023. The Action Plan includes proposals to introduce a fast-track with shorter statutory deadlines, streamline environmental assessments, and introduce cost-recovery to increase capacity in the Planning Inspectorate and statutory advisory bodies. DESNZ has updated and strengthened the Energy National Policy Statements that underpin planning for energy and networks infrastructure, and published them for consultation on 30 March 2023.

Offshore Industry: Carbon Emissions

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of the fourth carbon budget that will be taken up by blocks of scope (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 greenhouse gas emissions offered at the 33rd UK offshore oil and gas licensing round.

Graham Stuart: UK carbon budget accounting is based on territorial emissions in accordance with IPCC guidance. Scope 1 emissions from UK oil and gas extraction, including from current and potential future licensing rounds are accounted for in our legally-binding carbon budgets as set out in the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan. Scope 2 and 3 emissions from oil and gas are also included where the activity producing those emissions occurs within the UK.Projected emissions from current and potential future licensing rounds are incorporated into the offshore energy sector’s North Sea Transition Deal commitments and are consistent with the UK meeting carbon budgets.

Hydrogen: Scotland

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much revenue support has been allocated to (a) developers and (b) investors in electrolytic hydrogen projects through the hydrogen production business model in Scotland since that scheme was launched in July 2022.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much capital expenditure has been allocated to (a) developers and (b) investors in electrolytic hydrogen projects through the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund in Scotland since that scheme was launched in July 2022.

Graham Stuart: In March 2023, the Government announced the first 15 successful applicants to Strands 1 and 2 of the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF). Four are Scottish projects, in Inverness, East Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Kintore, which have been awarded a total of £11.7 million in development and capital grant funding.The Government also announced the 20 shortlisted projects entering due diligence in the first electrolytic hydrogen allocation round, which will offer capital and revenue support from the NZHF and Hydrogen Production Business Model. Five of the shortlisted projects are based in Scotland and the Government aims to award contracts to successful projects in Q4 2023.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many and what proportion of households that were previously in receipt of the Warm Homes Discount did not qualify for the payment under the new energy cost score criteria implemented for the 2022-23 scheme.

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on the number of households that were previously in receipt of the Warm Homes Discount which were informed by their energy supplier that the discount would be applied automatically in 2023 and then told that they were ineligible for the scheme following introduction of the 2022-23 energy cost score criteria.

Amanda Solloway: I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to her on 9 March 2023 to Question 156174. In addition, the Government expanded the scheme from winter 2022/23 onwards to support more households and increased the value of the rebate to £150. The Government has expanded the Warm Home Discount scheme this year to support more low-income and vulnerable households. The Government published impact assessments when consulting and publishing the Government’s response, which compared the option for reforming the scheme to continuing the previous scheme. As households previously applied through their suppliers, who set their own application processes and eligibility criteria and selected successful applicants each year, the Government has not been able to assess how many households previously eligible are no longer eligible.

Carbon Capture and Storage: Scotland

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much funding his Department has allocated to carbon capture utilisation and storage projects through the Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage Infrastructure Fund in Scotland since that fund was launched in March 2020.

Graham Stuart: The £1bn CCS Infrastructure Fund (CIF) forms part of a package of Government support to provide industry with the certainty required to deploy CCUS at pace and at scale. On 15 March 2023 my Rt hon Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an unprecedented up to £20 billion investment in the early development of CCUS. The Government has committed to setting out a vision for the CCUS sector that will support net zero ambitions and raise investor confidence. Since its launch the Government has committed up to £40m of the CIF to support early-stage design work in industrial clusters via the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge (IDC) Fund. UKRI announced the outcome of the challenge in March 2021 allocating a total of £171m, including £31m in funding for Scotland’s net zero infrastructure (offshore and onshore). The majority of CIF will be allocated through the ongoing Cluster Sequencing process.

Hydrogen: Planning Permission

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) the Scottish Government and (c) local authorities on planning consent of (i) production sites, (ii) storage sites and (iii) pipelines for hydrogen projects.

Graham Stuart: No such discussions have taken place. This department is responsible for energy planning decisions under the Planning Act, which does not cover Scotland. Decisions in Scotland are for the Scottish authorities. The deciding minister for planning decisions does not discuss particulars of live planning cases outside the proper planning process.

Carbon Capture and Storage: Hydrogen

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what (a) recent discussions he has had with and (b) representations he has received from the Scottish Government on the potential use of carbon capture utilisation and storage for producing blue hydrogen and meeting the Government's net zero targets.

Graham Stuart: Scotland has a key role to play in the development of a UK hydrogen economy, including through carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) enabled hydrogen. The UK and Scottish Government engage regularly on hydrogen policy developments at both official and ministerial level.

Carbon Capture and Storage

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had recent discussions with the Scottish Government on the potential role that existing oil and gas infrastructure will have in the delivery of his carbon capture, utilisation and storage policies.

Graham Stuart: The Government is engaging with the Scottish Government on the development and implementation of all aspects of CCUS, including the re-purposing of oil and gas infrastructure. The Government’s proposed update to Change of Use Relief through the Energy Bill seeks to remove potential barriers to re-purposing, and is in large part a direct consequence of the positive engagement held with the Acorn CCUS project in Scotland.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the high energy cost threshold for qualification for the Warm Homes Discount (a) is and (b) has been in each of the last 12 months.

Amanda Solloway: The Government sets the high-energy-cost threshold to expend the annual spending target. The threshold is set according to the number of rebates available and to prioritise low-income households living in properties estimated to be the highest cost to heat.The Government uses data on the type, age, and size of properties to estimate relative heating costs and ranks households by the combinations of those property characteristics.The Government set the threshold for the 2022/23 scheme year and will confirm over the summer whether there will be any adjustment for the 2023/24 scheme year.Further information can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/warm-home-discount-eligibility-statement-england-and-wales.

Department for Education

Education: Equal Pay

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the gender pay gap in the education sector.

Nick Gibb: The Department monitors reporting of the gender pay gap in schools and works with the Government Equalities Office and the Equalities and Human Rights Commission to ensure schools comply with the reporting requirement.Schools and colleges are responsible for implementing actions to reduce their gender pay gap. The Department expects schools and colleges, like all employers, to give due consideration to their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and the way their employment practices affect different sections of their communities and staff at different stages of their careers.The Department is committed to ensuring that the pay system for teachers is free from discrimination. To support schools in making appropriate pay decisions, the Department published guidance, drafted in partnership with the teaching unions, on handling equalities matters in the context of teachers pay. The Government is not responsible for and plays no role in setting or making recommendations about teacher pay in colleges. It is for individual colleges to set the pay of their staff.The latest Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2022 data shows that the median pay gap in the UK between full time male and female 'teaching and education professionals' has fallen significantly over recent years from 7.2% in 2021 to 5.1% in 2022. 'Teaching and education professionals' includes teaching staff across early years, schools, further education, and higher education.It is important to note universities, as autonomous institutions, are responsible for setting their own pay and conditions. Provisional data published by the Universities and Colleges Employers Association suggest the gender pay gap data for higher education has decreased from 20.7% in 2011/12 to 13.7% in 2021/22.

Physics: Education

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help encourage underrepresented groups of young people to study physics.

Nick Gibb: The Department supports a range of work to improve the uptake of and attainment in physics to ensure that anyone, regardless of their background, can pursue an education in science.The Department funds the Isaac Physics programme, an online platform of GCSE and A level physics materials developed by Cambridge University, which is designed to increase the numbers of students, particularly from typically underrepresented backgrounds, studying physics in higher education.The Department also funds the Inclusion in Schools project, delivered by the Association for Science Education, which is designed to increase the uptake of A level physics by students in underrepresented groups, including girls.A key objective of the Institute of Technology programme is to increase the participation of individuals from underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) including, for example, women or disadvantaged groups in local areas. Increased uptake will help to increase the long term pipeline of STEM skills.The Department also supports the STEM Ambassadors programme, a nationwide network of volunteers from STEM and related employers. Approximately 45% of ambassadors are women and 15% are from minority ethnic backgrounds, providing young people with a variety of role models. These ambassadors visit primary and secondary schools across the UK to raise awareness of the diverse range of STEM careers and enable young people to explore and develop their skills and interest in STEM.Additionally, the Department is working with some of the country’s most influential employers through the Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network to understand how to better reach out to people from disadvantaged backgrounds and underrepresented groups.

Physics: Teachers

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to meet its target of recruiting 2,820 specialist physics teachers in 2023.

Nick Gibb: Recent data shows record numbers of teachers in England’s state funded schools with over 468,000 full time equivalent now in our schools. This is an increase of 2,800 since last year, and an increase of 27,000 since 2010.The Department recognises the strong competition for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates. Our offer of a £27,000 tax free bursary or a £29,000 tax free scholarship in physics, chemistry, computing, and mathematics, reflects the priority the Department places on training teachers to teach STEM subjects. For the first time, this offer is also available to international trainees choosing to undertake physics teacher training.The Department is offering a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax free annually for physics, maths, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects in the schools and areas that need them most.The Department also remains committed to delivering the manifesto commitment of a £30,000 starting salary. The School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a significant 8.9% pay uplift to teacher starting salaries outside London in 2022/23 has been implemented, bringing starting salaries up to £28,000.The Department has expanded its ITT pilot course ‘Engineers teach physics’, nationally, with 18 providers now offering it. This expansion of providers will ensure that this programme is available to more trainees across the country, further improving the shortfall in physics teachers. The Department continues to work closely with sector experts, such as the Institute of Physics, engineering representative bodies and academic institutions during this project to encourage more graduates and career changers with an engineering or material science background to consider teaching physics as a career.To make teaching here even more attractive to the best teachers from around the world, the Department is piloting a new relocation payment for overseas nationals coming here to train or teach physics or languages. This single payment of £10,000 will help towards the costs of visas and other expenses.

STEM Subjects: Teachers

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to attract STEM teachers to schools in Devon.

Nick Gibb: The number of teachers remains high, with more than 468,000 across the country, which is 27,000 more than in 2010. In November 2022, the latest available data, there were 5,667 full-time equivalent teachers in state funded schools in Devon. This is an increase of 1.7% from last year (5,571) and an increase of 4.6% since 2010, when the school workforce census began (5,419).The Department recognises that recruitment and retention in some subjects, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects, remains more challenging and the Department has put additional targeted initiatives in place.​In October 2022, the Department announced an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting ITT in 2023/24, which is a £52 million increase on 2022/23. The package includes bursaries worth £27,000 tax free and scholarships worth £29,000 tax free, to encourage talented trainees to teach in key subjects, such as physics, chemistry and computing. More information on the financial incentives package can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-initial-teacher-training-itt/funding-initial-teacher-training-itt-academic-year-2023-to-2024.​For the 2023/24 academic year, the Department has also extended bursary and scholarship eligibility to all non-UK national trainees in physics.​ The Department is offering a Levelling Up Premium (LUP) worth up to £3,000 tax free for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. In Devon, there are 25 secondary schools that are eligible for the LUP. Specialist teachers in these schools can claim up to £2,000 tax free annually. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.​In spring 2022, the Department launched ‘Engineers teach physics’, an ITT course which was piloted as a step to encourage engineering graduates and career changers with an engineering background to consider a career as a physics teacher. Following the pilot year, the Department has now rolled ‘Engineers teach physics’ out nationally, with 18 providers currently offering this course.

Office for Students: Freedom of Expression

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the terms and conditions are for post of the Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom, including the (a) annual salary, (b) pension entitlements and costs and (c) working hours.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the annual salary is of the Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people applied for the Director of Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom position at the Office for Students.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much money was spent on the recruitment process for the Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom.

Claire Coutinho: The department received 16 applications for the role of Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom. Professor Arif Ahmed was appointed to the role on 1 June 2023, and will begin at the Office for Students (OfS) on 14 August. The Director was appointed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education in the same way that other board members of the OfS are appointed, under the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. Officials at the department managed the recruitment process. The department has not conducted an assessment of the costs involved. The Director role is a full-time executive position. It is a fixed term appointment, with the option of being extended up to a maximum of ten years. The role was advertised with a starting salary of £99,164, but this may be higher due to pay rises in some areas of the public sector in 2022. The Director’s working hours and starting salary will be agreed in his contract with the OfS. The Director will be eligible to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Free School Meals: Academic Year

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of free school meals outside of school term time on levels of child poverty.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans for free school meals outside of school term time.

Nick Gibb: Free school meals (FSM) is an educational entitlement, intended to support pupils while they are in education. Pupils do not receive FSM when they are not receiving education, including during school holidays.Overall, two million more pupils now enjoy a free meal at school compared to 2010. This means over one third of pupils are in receipt of FSM, up from just one in six in 2010 thanks to the introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals and generous transitional protections.The Department is providing over £200 million of funding per year in the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which provides food and activities for disadvantaged children in England, for four weeks during summer and one week each at Christmas and Easter. The programme provides heathy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing and education.For those who require extra support, the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact, to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England in the next financial year. This is in addition to funding already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding to £2.5 billion. In England this will be delivered through an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £842 million, running from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, which Local Authorities use to help households with the cost of essentials.Overall, the Government is providing total support of over £94 billion over 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living.

Suicide: Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing suicide prevention as a compulsory part of the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum.

Nick Gibb: Health Education became a statutory part of the National Curriculum in September 2020, for all pupils in state funded schools of compulsory school age.The aim of teaching pupils about physical health and mental wellbeing is to provide the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, recognise issues in themselves and others and, when issues arise, seek support as early as possible from appropriate sources.At primary school, pupils will be taught to recognise and talk about their emotions, the benefits of exercise, and simple self care techniques. At secondary school, pupils will be taught common types of mental ill health and how to recognise the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns. Schools can teach older pupils about suicide in an age appropriate and sensitive way.The Department has brought forward the review of the relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance. The Department will consult on an amended draft of the statutory guidance in the autumn with a view to publishing the final version in early 2024.

Physics: Teachers

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of specialist physics teachers in schools.

Nick Gibb: Recent data shows record numbers of teachers in England’s state funded schools with over 468,000 full time equivalent now in our schools. This is an increase of 2,800 since last year, and an increase of 27,000 since 2010.The Department’s recruitment and retention reforms aim to ensure effective teacher supply across all subjects. The Department recognises that recruitment and retention in some subjects, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects, remains more challenging and the Department has put additional targeted initiatives in place.​The Government remains committed to delivering £30,000 starting salaries to attract talented people to teaching. In October 2022, the Department announced an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting ITT in 2023/24, which is a £52 million increase on 2022/23. The package includes bursaries worth £27,000 tax free and scholarships worth £29,000 tax free, to encourage talented trainees to teach in key subjects, such as physics, chemistry and computing. More information on the financial incentives package can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-initial-teacher-training-itt/funding-initial-teacher-training-itt-academic-year-2023-to-2024.​For the 2023/24 academic year, the Department has also extended bursary and scholarship eligibility to all non-UK national trainees in physics.The Department is offering a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax free for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.​In spring 2022, the Department launched ‘Engineers teach physics’, an ITT course which was piloted as a step to encourage engineering graduates and career changers with an engineering background to consider a career as a physics teacher. Following the pilot year, the Department has now rolled ‘Engineers teach physics’ out nationally, with 18 providers currently offering this course.​The Department reviews the existing schemes on offer each year and considers the introduction of specific targeted initiatives where there is evidence that they could contribute to the recruitment and retention of excellent teachers.​To support retention across all subjects, the Department has published a range of resources to help address staff workload and wellbeing. This includes the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which the Department is encouraging schools to sign up to as a shared commitment to promote staff wellbeing: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. The Department will be reviewing progress made against the Charter later this year.

Teachers: Crimes of Violence

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of violent assaults against teachers in schools.

Nick Gibb: No teacher should feel unsafe or face violence or abuse in the workplace. The Government is clear that all school employers, including trusts, have a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees. The Government has taken decisive action to improve pupils’ behaviour and to ensure that all schools are calm, safe and supportive environments where pupils and staff can work in safety and are respected.The Department supports head teachers in taking proportionate and measured steps to ensure good behaviour in schools. To support schools to do so, the Department has strengthened the Behaviour in Schools guidance, which is the primary source of help and support for schools on developing and implementing a behaviour policy that can create a school culture which has high expectations of all pupils. This guidance outlines effective strategies that will encourage good behaviour and the sanctions that will be imposed for misbehaviour. The Government also backs head teachers to use exclusions when required, as a last resort.The Government is providing £10 million of funding for the behaviour hubs programmes to enable schools and multi-academy trusts with exemplary behaviour cultures and practices to work in partnership with those that want to improve their behaviour culture.

Sports: Teachers

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that teachers who coach pupils in a sport are trained in treating and preventing concussion.

Nick Gibb: The PE Curriculum is designed to enable schools to coach pupils in a variety of sports and physical activities. Schools have the responsibility to ensure they have considered the health and safety of their pupils.Staff should be given the information and training needed to effectively manage risks when delivering physical education. To support them to do this, the Department has published guidance. This guidance highlights resources that can support schools to consider health and safety risks and signposts teachers to the Association for Physical Education (AfPE) for advice on health and safety in PE and school sport. More information on the AfPE can be found here: http://www.afpe.org.uk/.On 28 April 2023, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced the publication of the first UK-wide Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport to help players, coaches, parents, teachers, wider school staff, National Governing Bodies and sports administrators to identify and manage concussion effectively. The publication can be found here: https://www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/policy/research-publications/concussion-guidelines.Expert advice is also available for schools from the National Governing Bodies of individual sports, who are responsible for issuing the safety directives for their individual sports and for ensuring appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm.

School Teachers' Review Body

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects the School Teachers Review Body 2023 report to be published.

Nick Gibb: As part of the normal process, the independent School Teachers’ Review Body has submitted its recommendations on teacher pay for the 2023/24 academic year to the Government. The Department will be considering the recommendations and will publish its response in the usual way, in due course.

Educational Institutions: Mental Health Services

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Mental Health Support Teams there were in (a) Enfield North Constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London in each year since 2010.

Claire Coutinho: Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are now in place in approximately 6,800 schools and colleges across the country, with 398 expert teams offering support to children experiencing mental health issues. Further information can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1156762/Transforming_CYPMH_implementation_programme__data_release_May_2023.pdf. MHSTs have achieved their NHS Long Term Plan coverage ambition a year early and over 500 MHSTs will be up and running by April 2024.Data on the roll out of MHSTs is available from 2018/19, when the first wave of ‘Trailblazer’ teams was commissioned.Data from NHS England shows that as of March 2023, 76 MHSTs are currently up and running in the NHS England London region, rising to 87 teams by April 2024. This has steadily increased from 15 teams in the Trailblazer wave in 2018/19. A link to the data and more information can be found here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/cyp/trailblazers/#_Mental_Health_Support. Data on the number of MHSTs is currently only available at Integrated Care System level and not at local authority or constituency level. The London Borough of Enfield sits within the North Central London Integrated Care System, which has 16 MHSTs. A full breakdown of the growth in MHSTs across London is below and further information can be found here: https://nclhealthandcare.org.uk/about/your-area/enfield/.Integrated Care SystemNorth Central LondonTotal in London2018/19 Trailblazer4152019/20 Wave 1 & 28262020/21 Wave 3 & 41192021/22 Wave 5 & 61162022/23 Wave 7 & 8211Total1687

Tourism: Qualifications

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with (a) local authorities and (b) businesses in the North East on the decision to stop funding for Level 3 tourism qualifications by 2025.

Robert Halfon: The department has embarked on an ambitious technical education reform programme. We consulted several times on the reforms to seek the views on our proposed changes. In March 2019, the government launched the first stage consultation to gather views and evidence about the principles that should apply to post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below in England. The results of this consultation are available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/928952/Review_of_post-16_qualifications_at_level_3_and_below_-_First_stage_government_response.pdf.In July 2021, the department published its response to the second stage consultation of the review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below, which ran between the 23 October 2020 to 31 January 2021.The department made clear its intentions to streamline the qualifications landscape, simplify choices for students, and only fund qualifications that are high quality and lead to good progression outcomes. The response is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-post-16-qualifications-at-level-3-second-stage.The changes to post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below are designed to ensure that our qualifications system provides a ladder of opportunity for young people from all backgrounds. The department wants as many people as possible to undertake world class A levels and T Levels, which evidence shows provide the best foundation from which to progress, either into higher education, or skilled employment.Data shows that, in the following year, of the approximately 3,100 16-18 students who completed a level 3 qualification in Travel and Tourism in 2018/19:Only 16% progressed into HE, of which just under half (44%) moved into Travel and Tourism related HE study.Just under half (45%) moved purely into employment, in a mixed range of sectors, including retail and wholesale (30%), hospitality (24%), administration (10%), health and social care (8%), and transport (6%).26% of students went on to further education study, the majority (64%) in the same area.This shows mixed progression outcomes for these qualifications. Specifying that newly developed travel and tourism-related qualifications must be based on employer-designed, approved occupational standards at level 3 will ensure that students gain the knowledge, skills, and behaviours employers in the travel and tourism industries need, leading to better and more consistent progression outcomes for young people.The department will continue to fund travel and tourism qualifications at level 3 beyond 2025. Existing travel and tourism qualifications will remain funded until 31 July 2026, after which qualifications approved for funding in travel and tourism will need to be mapped against one of the relevant occupational standards at level 3 for technical qualifications. Further information can be found here: https://occupational-maps.instituteforapprenticeships.org/.For future qualifications, the department is encouraging awarding organisations to work with schools, colleges and employers to develop new travel and tourism-focused technical qualifications at level 3 that support young people to enter employment or further technical study where that is what they want to do.

Apprentices: Pay

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to respond to the recommendations on Apprenticeship pay rates in Low Pay Commission's annual report for 2022.

Robert Halfon: The government is committed to ensuring that apprentice pay supports the attraction and retention of talented individuals into apprenticeships.The independent Low Pay Commission (LPC) is responsible for advising the government on annual changes to minimum pay rates. Its recommendations follow a period of extensive research and consultation with employers, sector representative bodies and government stakeholders. The report for 2022 can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1129930/Low_Pay_Commission_Report_2022.pdf.In November 2022, the government accepted, in full, the LPC’s recommendation to increase the Apprentice National Minimum Wage by 9.7% to £5.28 from April 2023.Many employers choose to pay their apprentices more than the National Minimum Wage rate, recognising the value that apprentices bring to their workplace. Our data shows that average hourly pay for apprentices ranges between £8.23 for level 2 and £14.02 for level 6.The LPC has committed to keeping the Apprentice Rate under close review. The consultation to inform their recommendations on the 2024 minimum wage rates ran from 23 March and closed on 9 June 2023. It is expected that the government will receive the recommendations through the 2023 annual report, this autumn.The department continues to offer financial support to apprentices and makes £1,000 payments to employers and providers when they take on apprentices aged 16-18. This can be used to support costs such as wages, uniforms or travel, and the department is increasing the care leavers bursary from £1,000 to £3,000.

Department for Transport

Buses: Carbon Emissions

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many zero-emission buses have been delivered as part of the Government’s target to provide 4,000 zero-emission buses by the end of 2024 as of 14 June 2023.

Mr Richard Holden: We are committed to supporting the introduction of 4,000 zero emission buses by the end of the Parliament and achieving an all zero-emission bus fleet across the UK. Across the UK, an estimated 3,400 zero emission buses have been funded since February 2020.

Active Travel and Roads: Finance

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the value for money of public funding in (a) active travel schemes and (b) road schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Transport schemes, including active travel schemes, and strategic and local authority road schemes are appraised following guidance set out in DfT’s Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG). Appraisals provide a comprehensive and systematic assessment of the impacts of a scheme. The economic dimension considers both impacts which can be monetised (and included in a Benefit Cost Ratio) and impacts which cannot be robustly valued but which are still assessed and reflected in the value for money assessment. Our appraisals capture impacts of transport investment across the economy, society and environment.Schemes are assessed by the department following the 5 case business case model. Value for money is one of several factors the department considers. A post-opening project evaluation assesses whether the benefits set out in a scheme’s business case are on track to be realised through systematically evaluating metrics in relation to impacts including traffic flows, journey times, journey time reliability, safety and the environment. Evaluation reports are published on the Government website. The Second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) sets out the government’s plans for developing and improving the Strategic Road Network between 2020/21 and 2024/25. The RIS2 Analysis overview published in March 2020, found that at this point of appraisal for the Investment Plan, RIS2 overall is High Value for Money (VfM) – meaning that more than £2 of benefits are generated for each £1 spent. Local major roads schemes within the Major Roads Network programme have been estimated to have an average Benefit Cost Ratio of around 4, indicating that the programme will deliver Very High value for money. Schemes in the programme have a typical BCR range of between 1.5 and 5, with a small number of schemes having a BCR outside of this range. Active travel investment typically has at least high value for money. The average benefit-cost ratio, weighted by scheme cost, for Active Travel Fund 4 estimated that for every £1 of investment in active travel infrastructure schemes, there would be a return £2.40 of economic, social, and environmental benefits. Behaviour change interventions funded by the Department have been estimated by our delivery partners to have a benefit cost ratio of 2.5 in 2021/22 for the Big Bike Revival and 5.5 in 2022/23 for Walk to School Outreach programmes.

Active Travel: Levelling Up Fund

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Levelling Up Fund bids have been given a design assessment by Active Travel England.

Jesse Norman: Active Travel England reviewed 31 Levelling Up Fund (LUF) bids where an active travel intervention was considered to be the majority element of the bid. Active Travel England will conduct design assessments of all active travel schemes funded by the LUF as they are being developed.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the On Street Residential Chargepoint Grant.

Jesse Norman: As of 1 April 2023, the On Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) has funded 4,235 public charging devices, installed across local authorities in the UK since the scheme started in 2017. Funding has also been awarded for an additional 13,986 ORCS charging devices. The effectiveness of the grant is considered as part of annual changes made to the scheme. This takes account of the latest progress in charging, geographical spread of devices and wider market developments. For example, the proportion of funding provided under ORCS has been reduced from 75% to 50% over time. This year, ORCS has been adapted to focus on smaller chargepoint projects, which will plug gaps in charging coverage and maintain installation momentum while local authorities apply to the larger Local EV Infrastructure Fund.

Freight: Biofuels

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to help the road haulage industry to transition to net-zero through adopting (a) Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil and (b) other biofuels.

Jesse Norman: The Government has committed to end the sale of new, non-zero emission HGVs, less than or equal to 26 tonnes from 2035, and all new HGVs must be fully zero emission at the exhaust from 2040. During the transition, low carbon fuels have a significant role to play and currently provide a third of greenhouse gas savings in the domestic transport sector. They remain essential in reducing emissions from existing vehicles through blending them with traditional fossil petrol and diesel through grades such as E10 and B7. As the road vehicle fleet transitions to electric vehicles, production capacity of low carbon fuels will shift to transport modes, which are harder to decarbonise, like aviation and maritime. The Low Carbon Fuel Strategy, which the Department intends to publish later this year, will set out possible scenarios for the deployment of low carbon fuels across transport sectors out to 2050.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation: Republic of Ireland

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a comparative assessment of the merits of the UK’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation and that deployed in the Republic of Ireland.

Jesse Norman: Biofuel suppliers operate in a global market and the Department considers changes to the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) accordingly, in the context of many support schemes offered worldwide. As the administrator of the RTFO, the Department also participates in the Renewable Fuels Regulators Club, which includes counterparts in the Republic of Ireland, and facilitates the sharing of best practice.

Aviation: Fuels

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on the development of sustainable aviation fuels.

Jesse Norman: The Government is focused on stimulating the demand and use of sustainable aviation fuel in the UK. To create demand for SAF, the Government will introduce a SAF mandate in 2025, which aims to deliver at least 10% of jet fuel from sustainable sources by 2030. The second consultation on the design of the scheme is currently open for consultation. The Government is seeking to kickstart a domestic SAF industry through the £165 million Advanced Fuels Fund to support the development of commercial scale plants. The Government has already awarded funding to five projects and is currently considering applications to the second funding round. In April 2023, the Government responded to Philip New’s report on developing a UK SAF industry. Officials are now working with industry to develop options for an industry-funded revenue certainty mechanism.

Large Goods Vehicles: Batteries

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of length of time it will take for battery technology to become sufficiently advanced to power Heavy Goods Vehicles.

Jesse Norman: As of September 2022, there were already 437 battery electric zero emission HGVs operating in the UK. In its recent position paper on the zero emission HGV market, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) identified 24 models of battery electric HGVs already on sale in the UK, or due to be on sale by 2024. These vehicles have ranges of up to 340 miles.

Department for Transport: Disability

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the National Disability Strategy published 28 July 2021, which of his Department’s commitments in that strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.

Jesse Norman: In January 2022, the High Court declared the National Disability Strategy (NDS) was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations. The Department for Transport (DfT) had 20 transport accessibility commitments included in the NDS. None of these policies was paused, however to date, eight commitments have been fully implemented. Most recently, this includes the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations (AIR), which was passed by Parliament in May 2023. This requires the provision of audible and visible information on-board local bus and coach services across Great Britain. Work continues to implement the remaining 12 commitments. DfT remain fully committed to supporting disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society. To support this, DfT will be providing further details of our recent achievements to improve disabled people’s lives in the forthcoming Disability Action Plan consultation due for publication in the summer. Ahead of this, the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work will write providing a list of these achievements and will place a copy in the House Library.

Shipping: Employment

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2022, published on 10 May 2023, whether he plans to undertake a review into the (a) training and (b) employment of UK seafarers.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department is working with the Maritime Skills Commission to address the recommendations from its 2021 review of training for officer cadets. In June 2022 the Government announced a review of ratings training, barriers, opportunities, and areas for growth. Government will work with the Maritime Skills Commission on findings that emerge from this review. The Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry report is updated annually, and the next planned update is scheduled for early 2024

Wales Office

Wales Office: Vodafone Group

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the merger between Three and Vodafone on her Department's contracts with Vodafone.

Dr James Davies: As an open economy, this Government welcomes and encourages investment where it supports the Prime Minister’s goal of boosting UK growth and jobs, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements, and does not compromise our national security. The Government has robust powers under the National Security & Investment Act, which it introduced, to block or impose remedies on transactions that pose a national security risk. As you will appreciate, we cannot comment on specific acquisitions nor the applicability of the National Security and Investment regime. It is the responsibility of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to assess the impact on consumers and competition in the market, with input from sectoral regulators. The Investment Security Unit works closely with the Competition and Markets Authority on cases that are being considered for both national security and competition reasons. A memorandum of understanding has been agreed between the Investment Security Unit and the CMA to assist joint working. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operation-of-the-national-security-and-investment-act-2021-memorandum-of-understanding/mou-between-beis-and-the-cma-on-the-operation-of-the-national-security-and-investment-act-2021.

Ministry of Defence

National Security: Cybersecurity

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2023 to Question 122045 on National Security: Cybersecurity, whether he has revised the whole-life cost for the Joint Crypt Key Programme.

James Cartlidge: I can confirm that there has been no revision to the whole-life cost of the Joint Crypt Key Programme since the answer given to the right hon. Member by my predecessor (Alex Chalk) on 19 January to Question 122045 on National Security: Cybersecurity.

LE TacCIS Programme

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of progress made on the Morpheus programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the deliverability of the Evolve to Open system to the Army.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current initial operating capability date is of the Evolve to Open system.

James Cartlidge: Progress on Morpheus continues in alignment with Departmental plans, which include ongoing discussions with General Dynamics Mission Systems (UK) regarding the delivery of the Evolve to Open system. The original Initial Operating Capability (IOC) date was 2025, a revised IOC is yet to be defined pending those discussions.

National Security: Cybersecurity

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the value for money of the Joint Crypt Key programme.

James Cartlidge: The financial case for each major Joint Crypt Key Programme approval of spend is assessed by the Investments Approvals Committee, as well as through an annual Information Note on delivery progress within approved time, cost and performance parameters. Additionally, the Joint Crypt Key Programme is regularly assessed by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, including two reviews in 2022. The results of Infrastructure and Projects Authority reviews of the Joint Crypt Key Programme are withheld publicly as their disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of the Armed Forces. I would however be happy to offer the right hon. Member a briefing at a higher classification.

Ajax Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether weapons systems on the Capability Drop 1 Ajax vehicles have been fired successfully during vehicle movement.

James Cartlidge: Capability Drop 1 vehicles have been delivered to the Army to enable low level training and experimentation rather than the full capability expected at Capability Drop 3. General Dynamics have already successfully trialled live firing on the move on Capability Drop 3 vehicles and Ministry of Defence will qualify the capability before they receive the vehicles.

Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of when his Department will take delivery of the first Capability Drop 3 Ajax vehicles.

James Cartlidge: Deliveries of Capability Drop 3 vehicles will begin in autumn 2024, enabling the Army to achieve Initial Operating Capability between July - December 2025.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what capabilities will be acquired through the Protected Mobility Pipeline programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) initial and (b) full operating capability is of the Protected Mobility Pipeline programme.

James Cartlidge: The Protected Mobility Pipeline Programme is in its concept phase. Subject to confirmation during the approvals process, it is anticipated that the Programme will seek to deliver four categories of platforms (as individual projects), plus coherence with legacy platforms: General Support Utility PlatformLight Protected Mobility PlatformMedium Protected Mobility PlatformHeavy Protected Mobility Platform Due to the complexity of different projects within the Programme construct, each of the Projects will have their own Initial Operating Capability and Full Operating Capability milestones.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Foxhound and (b) Mastiff vehicles are in service with the Army.

James Cartlidge: 398 Foxhound and 330 Mastiff Protected Mobility Vehicles are currently in service with the British Army.

LE TacCIS Programme

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of progress on the LE TacCIS programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current initial operating capability date is of the LE TacCIS programme.

James Cartlidge: The LE TacCIS programme is comprised of multiple projects with the aim to deliver the next generation of tactical military communications in the land environment. At present, we continue to make good progress on the core elements thereof.

Ministry of Defence: Quantum Technology

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department invested in the research and development of quantum technology each year since 2010.

James Cartlidge: Research and Development (R&D) into new and emerging technologies – including quantum technologies – is critical to the development of future battle winning Defence capabilities. Defence will invest over £6.6 billion in R&D over this Spending Review period, with a specific focus on areas such as AI, hypersonic and quantum technologies. It is not possible to provide specific details on historic spend per year for quantum research owing to the nature of the technology and the Department’s federated approach to capability development.

Ministry of Defence: Artificial Intelligence

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department invested in the research and development of artificial intelligence technology each year since 2010.

James Cartlidge: Research and Development (R&D) into new and emerging technologies – including AI – is critical to the development of future battle winning Defence capabilities. Defence will invest over £6.6 billion in R&D over this Spending Review period, with a specific focus on areas such as AI, hypersonic and quantum technologies. It is not possible to provide specific details on historic spend per year for AI owing to the nature of the technology and the Department’s federated approach to capability development.

Defence

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure the UK does not risk falling behind in (a) defence and (b) military-related advancements in (i) drone technology and (ii) artificial intelligence.

James Cartlidge: The UK remains one of the top nations in NATO for Defence spending and, as announced in the Spring Budget, this will increase by £11 billion over the next five years. Last year we published the Defence Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy with the ambitious vision of being, in terms of AI, the world's most effective, efficient, trusted, and influential Defence organisation for our size. Capabilities are also being pursued in air, land and maritime 'uncrewed systems' to ensure the continued technological prowess of our whole Armed Forces.

Armed Forces: Housing

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has processes in place to support people affected by repair works on military accommodation property taking longer than two weeks to resolve.

James Cartlidge: There are no specific processes at the two-week point. All cases are considered based on individual circumstances, such as whether a family is at risk of harm (particularly if there is a vulnerable person present in the household) or are experiencing significant hardship or inconvenience and the matter cannot be quickly resolved or mitigated (e.g. through the use of temporary heaters); temporary accommodation should then be provided as appropriate.

Guided Weapons: Research

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department invested in the research and development of hypersonic technology each year since 2010.

James Cartlidge: Research and Development (R&D) into new and emerging technologies - including hypersonic technology - is critical to the development of future battle winning Defence capabilities. Defence will invest over £6.6 billion in R&D over this Spending Review period, with a specific focus on areas such as AI, hypersonic and quantum technologies.It is not possible to provide specific details on historic spend per year for hypersonic technologies owing to the Department's federated approach to capability development into weapons research.

Army

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many combat support enablers the Army has.

James Heappey: The British Army classifies Engineers and Artillery as Combat Support. As part of the Army's deployable force, there are currently 12 regular and seven Reserve Royal Artillery Regiments and 12 regular and four Reserve Royal Engineer Regiments, plus five Works Groups.

Royal Military Academy

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has taken recent steps to improve the provision of welfare support at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Welfare support at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) was previously provided by the Academy Welfare Officer and an Academy Welfare Warrant Officer who were supported by a Welfare Support Officer and a Women’s Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) Welfare Support Officer. A Welfare Uplift review was undertaken in late 2020 which led to an increase in seven additional members of staff - two additional Welfare Warrant Officers, three Support Workers, an additional WRVS Welfare Officer and a part-time Psychological Support Officer. Increased funding has also been allocated for separate newly refurbished informal social environments for OCdts and Permanent Staff and their families in which welfare support can be provided.

Armed Forces

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he is taking steps to ensure the consistent implementation of adequate risk management processes for vulnerable service personnel.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Across the Armed Forces, there are extensive medical and welfare systems that offer support for those in need, provided by the Chain of Command, medical staff, welfare and pastoral staff. The Ministry of Defence also works closely with the National Health Service, the Defence Medical Services, Service charities, third parties and the single Services to provide 24-hour mental health services accessible for all Armed Forces personnel. This includes a 24-hour mental health helpline, funded by Defence, and delivered by Combat Stress.Each Service also has dedicated suicide and self-harm policies and risk management procedures tailored to their specific nature, all of which are regularly reviewed and updated. This includes Vulnerability Risk Management training.The Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan, published in April 2023, also seeks to enhance organisational processes to support those at risk.

Armed Forces: Housing

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to publicise the ability to join the Self and Custom Build register of any local authority in England among members of the Armed Forces.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD), through the Defence Transition Service, delivers an annual programme of civilian housing briefings to help inform and guide Service personnel and their families about the choices available to them and the need to plan ahead.The MOD plans to incorporate appropriate reference to the Self and Custom Build register, to help raise awareness of it amongst the members of the Armed Forces community.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Animal Products: Imports

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent trophy hunters bringing hunt souvenirs into the United Kingdom through Northern Ireland.

Trudy Harrison: Strict controls on hunting trophy imports are already in place in Northern Ireland, with no permits issued since 2018. In addition to these existing strict controls, we are continuing to explore whether there is scope for a further tightening of arrangements in Northern Ireland.

Tree Planting: East Devon

Simon Jupp: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the number of trees planted in East Devon constituency since 2010.

Trudy Harrison: The reporting statistic the hon. Member has requested is not currently available. However, officials from the Forestry Commission have begun the process of analysing the data required to answer this question. I invite the hon. Member to write to the Forestry Commission where officials can provide the results of this analysis.

Animals: Imports

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department plans to consult on the proposed Target Operating Model for non-commercial imports of live animals.

Trudy Harrison: Under the Target Operating Model, the requirements for the movement of non-commercial pets to/from GB will not change. Requirements can be found here on Gov.uk.

Water Companies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2023 to Question 186322 on Water Companies, how many (a) fines and (b) legal instruments have been issued by the Drinking Water Inspectorate for discolouration events in each of the last five years, broken down by each water company.

Rebecca Pow: DWI does not currently implement a financial penalties system. Therefore no water companies were fined under such a mechanism during the period 2017-2021. The DWI issued a total of 44 legal instruments to companies associated with discolouration events in the period 2017-2021. This is summarised by company in the table below: Year20172018201920202021Anglian Water Services Ltd 1   Bristol Water Plc2Northumbrian, Essex and Suffolk Water Limited 2   South East Water Ltd 3   Southern Water Services Ltd 1 3 South Staffordshire Water and Cambridge Water PLC 3   Severn Trent Water Ltd 1  1South West and Bournemouth Water Ltd 4 34Thames Water Utilities Limited 1   United Utilities Water PLC  12 Wessex Water Services Limited1Yorkshire Water Services Limited 21  Totals018288

Water Supply

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has contingency plans in place to ensure the continued operation of (a) water supply and (b) sewage treatment and processing in the event of a water company no longer being able to fulfill its financial obligations.

Rebecca Pow: Ofwat and the Government take the financial resilience of the water sector very seriously. Ofwat reports annually on the sector's financial resilience and has taken steps in recent years to strengthen the sector's position. This includes action to update the ring-fencing provisions in water company licences to better safeguard the interests of customers and barring water companies from making pay-outs to shareholders and removing money or assets from the business if they lose their investment credit grade rating. In the event that a water company is no longer able to fulfil its financial obligations, the Secretary of State and Ofwat have powers to apply for a special administration on insolvency grounds. This process would ensure that water supply and sewerage services would continue until the water company is transferred to new owners.

Dogs: Imports

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it remains her policy to ban the non-commercial import of pregnant dogs in the last 30 per cent of their gestation period.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to bring forward secondary legislation to ban the non-commercial import of pregnant dogs in the last 30 per cent of their gestation period.

Trudy Harrison: In August 2021, the Government launched a consultation on proposed changes to the rules governing the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets, including a ban on the movement of dogs which are more than 42 days pregnant into Great Britain. We are carefully reviewing the feedback gathered from our consultation and wider engagement with stakeholders, and a response to the consultation will be published in due course.

Restoration and Renewal Client Board

Victoria Tower

Damien Moore: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, what options are being considered for the occupation of Victoria Tower after the exit of the Parliamentary Archives.

Sir Charles Walker: The Parliamentary Archives are due to complete their move from the Victoria Tower in 2025. The future use of the internal space of Victoria Tower is currently within the scope of the Restoration and Renewal Programme as future occupation is likely to require substantial renovations. In line with the mandate set by the Houses, the Delivery Authority has been developing a wide range of options for the restoration and renewal work. These will be shortlisted into a smaller number of options by the R&R Programme Board and the R&R Client Board before summer recess and both Houses will be asked to approve a way forward later this year. The Programme will deliver to the requirements set by Parliament.The Delivery Authority, working with the Restoration and Renewal Client Team and Strategic Estates, is currently considering the feasibility of early works that could be delivered as part of the Restoration and Renewal Programme in a number of areas including the Victoria Tower.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Candidates: Vetting

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what checks are undertaken to ascertain whether candidates for election to (a) the House of Commons and (b) local authorities are on the sex offenders register.

Cat Smith: A person is disqualified from being elected to a local authority in England and Wales if they are on the sex offenders register at the time of their nomination and on polling day.The Scottish Government is consulting on introducing a similar disqualification for Scottish local government elections. There is not currently a similar disqualification in place in Northern Ireland, or for UK parliamentary candidates.It is the candidate's responsibility, not the Returning Officer's, to ensure that the information they submit on their nomination papers is correct. If a candidate decides to stand despite not meeting the eligibility criteria, this would be a matter for the police.

Ministry of Justice

Youth Offending Teams: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Youth Justice Grant.

Damian Hinds: The Youth Justice Grant is distributed to Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) by the Youth Justice Board (YJB), on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, for the operation and provision of youth justice services. Though varying by YOT, on average the grant makes up around a third of the funding YOTs receive. Local authorities and partner agencies provide the rest of their funding.The youth justice system works to prevent offending and reoffending by children (those aged 10-17) and this Government has driven and overseen a number of achievements. In the year ending March 2022, the number of first time entrants was 8,000, which is a 78% fall from the year ending March 2012. Over the same period, the average youth custody population fell by 77% to an average of 450, and the proven reoffending rate fell to 31.2%.We want to go further still to drive and oversee the youth justice system. The MoJ introduced a new set of Key Performance Indicators in April 2023 so as to provide greater insight of how the youth justice system is operating.

Probation

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many multi-agency public protection arrangements lay advisers there are in post.

Damian Hinds: There are currently 63 Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) Lay Advisers in post across England and Wales. Details of their role can be found in the MAPPA Guidance at https://mappa.justice.gov.uk/MAPPA/view?objectID=403300.

Personal Names: Deed Poll

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people waiting to change their legal name by deed poll.

Mike Freer: Increases in applications to enrol a deed poll with the High Court are linked to a reduction in the application fee applied in January 2015, and also a requirement from many foreign government agencies for proof that a UK deed poll has been formally enrolled.Many applications are returned because the form has not been completed correctly or the supporting evidence has not been submitted in its entirety. This builds in unnecessary delay and re-work in the system. Officials working with the Judiciary have recently undertaken a piece of work to improve and simplify the application form itself and the guidance that supports it.A new application and accompanying guidance are expected to be available for use on gov.uk in the coming weeks. It is expected that these changes, which are intended to make the process easier for applicants to follow, will reduce the amount of time taken to process applications. This will also remove delays caused by the need to request additional information or amended applications from applicants.

Magistrates: Young People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage a higher number of younger people to become magistrates.

Mike Freer: The recruitment of more magistrates is one of the Government’s top priorities for the magistracy. The Ministry of Justice has invested over £1 million in a programme of work to support the recruitment of 4,000 new and diverse magistrates over the next few years.On 17 January 2022, we launched a digitised, more efficient, recruitment process. This has been supported by a carefully designed, targeted national marketing campaign designed to raise the profile of the magistracy and attract more applicants, particularly amongst underrepresented groups such as younger people.We recognise that young people are likely to be employed and have other responsibilities to manage. We have developed a suite of materials to support magistrates or prospective magistrates who are employed, to balance their work responsibilities and judicial duties.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of section 21 evictions was in each region of England in each of the last 12 months.

Mike Freer: The Ministry of Justice publishes statistics on the volume of Section 21 evictions.These figures are published up to March 2023 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics

Women and Equalities

Conversion Therapy

Peter Gibson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ban conversion practices.

Stuart Andrew: I refer the Hon Member to my response to Parliamentary Questions 189369, 189439, 189455, 189469, 189456, 189457, 189458.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Government

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when he plans to have further roundtable discussions with party leaders in Northern Ireland on taking steps to help restore the Northern Ireland Executive with cross-community support.

Mr Steve Baker: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland regularly speaks with the Northern Ireland party leaders whether in roundtables, phone calls, or bilateral meetings, and will continue to do so over the coming weeks and months. We will do everything we can to facilitate the return of devolved government, which is what people in Northern Ireland expect and deserve.